With LeBron James just a few wins away from winning a fourth NBA championship at the age of 35, ex-teammate Kyrie Irving got himself trending on Thursday over some very interesting comments he made on a podcast with new Nets co-star Kevin Durant.
During the discussion, Irving said that with Durant on the floor alongside him, it’s the first time in his career where he feels comfortable with a teammate taking shots in clutch situations.
“This is the first time in my career where I can be like “that motherf***** can make that shot, too.”
Many fans read this as an obvious shot at LeBron James, who delivered a Finals MVP performance in the only year Irving has ever won an NBA title. Irving has since denied that he was addressing James with his comments, and called the storyline a “false narrative.” The comments come after Irving publicly announced in 2019 that he called James to apologize for being an immature player during their time together, which had seemed to end any beef between the two.
During his media availability later on Thursday, after the Irving podcast had gone viral, James may have offered a subtle response to Irving when talking about his connection with fellow Lakers superstar Anthony Davis. When asked about his close relationship with Davis, James noted that he and Davis aren’t jealous of each other.
“We’re not jealous of each other. I think that’s the best thing. In professional sports, you have guys that join forces: two alpha males, is what they call them… they get together and talk about how dominant they can be and they talk about how this going to be this and that. I believe jealousy creeps in a lot and that is the absolute contrary of what we are.
We know who we are, we know what we’re about and we want the best — seriously, every single day, on and off the floor — for one another. We’re just not jealous of one another, and I think when you align that with respect, I think sky’s the limit.”
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