While discussing what it takes to play with guys of that level, Kyrie Irving reflected on his career with previous organisations.
With the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kevin Love, Luka Doncic, and countless more teammates under his belt, Kyrie Irving’s career seems to have been cut short. Considering the calibre of talent around him, one ring in fourteen years feels insufficient.
Even though he came close to being named league MVP or leading scorer at one point, he has only won the Three-Point Contest and All-Star MVP awards.
LeBron remains the only superstar with whom Kyrie reached the mountaintop
Still, Irving will forever be remembered for “that shot” in Game 7, over Stephen Curry, to seal the first-ever championship in Cleveland Cavaliers history.
LeBron remains the only superstar with whom Kyrie reached the mountaintop, but when you look at how different the rest of those stars are, and how sometimes it takes more than just basketball skill, things make more sense.
It’s something Kyrie himself touched on during a recent Twitch stream.
“The greatest lesson I learned was you gotta love who you playin’ with,” he said. “When that love doesn’t necessarily have the same height or have the same feeling — that’s what I feel like. And it’s not just my examples, right? It’s also one of plenty of examples of teams that have broken up or situations breaking up in the NBA. So it’s an interesting dynamic that you have to learn from and grow into.”
“So to all young players out there, get used to playing with some of the greatest or some people that are better than you in certain categories. Learning to let them be in their domain and let them dominate,” he concluded.
His focus was clearly elsewhere
Irving clearly started to understand over time what it takes for two superstars to truly complement each other.
He came into the league as a young, flashy hooper, but as he grew into one of the best not just guards, but players, in the entire league, his issues with injuries and the COVID vaccine began.
His focus was clearly elsewhere and far from the hardwood. During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, he played only 16 games alongside Durant and Harden over almost two seasons. In those moments, Kyrie seemed too caught up in off-court matters to realize his opportunity to win another title. Additionally,
he admitted he misses playing with Durant Doncic and LeBron  because they pushed him to be better.
“They’ve, in their own ways, inspired me to continue to work on my craft at a high level. Specifically, Bron and KD. Obviously Kobe is No. 1 for me on that board of being inspired, but Bron, KD, J-Kidd, Vince Carter, Tim Duncan, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon — just guys that I could think of off the top of my head,” he Stated.
Irving’s career will always be one of those “what ifs”
Kyrie has always been a true student of the game, someone who worked on his fundamentals and absorbed pieces of greatness from the legends around him.
He knew he was surrounded by all-time greats and took elements from each to incorporate into his own style.
But the real shame, for both him and basketball fans, is that his focus wasn’t always where it needed to be: winning championships.
Regardless, even with that one ring, Irving’s career will always be one of those “what ifs.” A player of his talent was clearly destined for more.
Yes, Olympic gold and an NBA title make for a complete resume, but considering the talent on those teams, it could’ve been, and should’ve been, a lot more.
Irving now understands what it takes for players of that caliber to coexist on the same team, but unfortunately, that realization may have come a bit too late.
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