When Kyrie Irving said that Kevin Durant was the first person he trusted to take clutch shots, LeBron James admitted it hurt him. They won a title together in 2016, in a campaign that LeBron contributed heavily towards. So discrediting that contribution is disrespectful.

These statements prompted former teammates and others from the Cavs organization to give their point of view. Brendan Haywood and Kendrick Perkins talked about Irving’s jealousy of LeBron’s superstar treatment. But former Director of Player Administration, Raja Bell, added an interesting take.

Kyrie Irving didn’t want to be the little brother to LeBron James

Bell described their relationship as a big brother and a little brother.

He said, “Kyrie didn’t really like the little brother thing. Little brothers grow up to be big brothers too. LeBron was doing what you’re supposed to do for someone who hasn’t seen the mountaintop yet but has the ability to be a mountaintop player on his own team. He was just showing him the way. Trying to give him answers to the test.

“But Kyrie didn’t love the fact that he was the younger brother in that scenario. It was cool for a minute, and then he didn’t want it anymore.”

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LeBron rejoined the Cavaliers in 2014 after winning two titles with the Heat. He wanted to do the same for his own city. When he arrived, a young Irving was leading the Cavs, but they were still a lottery team. So LeBron wanted to help Kyrie and take him under his wings, but according to Bell, Irving didn’t want that.

Would Irving have become a better player had he listened to James?

This resentment eventually made Irving request a trade. He left for the Boston Celtics, where he had a few young and promising players under him like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But instead of being a leader like James, Irving was reportedly toxic in the locker room, and his teammates grew tired of him.

Finally, after two seasons in Boston, he left for Brooklyn to team up with Kevin Durant. He is yet to win anything since then, while LeBron recently won the NBA title with the Lakers. So Irving could have become a better player overall had he just listened to LeBron and tried to understand why he was helping him.

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