The NBA Finals are about to start, and yet again, LeBron James will be watching the series on television instead of participating in it.
After reaching the championship series 10 times, James has exited early in the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. Of course, in 2022, his Los Angeles Lakers didn’t even reach the play-in tournament even though he had Russell Westbrook, his hand-picked third star, by his side.
One man who will compete in this year’s finals will be Kyrie Irving, a man who was on James’ Cleveland Cavaliers when they got there three years in a row together.
On the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, James said he’s mad he isn’t Irving’s teammate anymore while calling the eight-time All-Star “the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen.” Before the Dallas Mavericks landed the New Jersey native from the Brooklyn Nets in a midseason trade last year, the Lakers made two attempts to acquire him.
Irving responded to James’ comments in a complimentary way.
Kyrie Irving’s response to LeBron James saying he misses being his “running mate”:
“Got to love this, man,” Irving said. “I have a great reaction. It’s appreciated. There’s a lot of gratitude there, as well. Obviously, I’m in a different age, different place in my life. So is… pic.twitter.com/AyL6P6MDRk
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) June 5, 2024
Irving’ Mavs will be going up against the Boston Celtics, which means many Lakers fans will likely be rooting for him and his squad. At the same time, they will also likely be watching him in a wistful way, as plenty of Purple and Gold fans wish he would’ve become a member of their team.