In 2017, Kyrie Irving shook up the NBA when he made it clear that he didn't want to play with LeBron James anymore. The news caught the nation off guard. There were dozens of players lining up to join LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Irving was not pleased. He was drafted by the Cavs in 2011 as their lead player. Lebron had left the season before to head to Miami, and Cleveland needed a new star. Kyrie was a young leader on the squad until LeBron returned in 2014. Although LeBron and Kyrie did win a championship together, Irving was not satisfied. He wanted to be the leader, a position that was handed back to Lebron when he returned to Cleveland. Irving was traded to the Celtics, a move that LeBron stated was “the beginning of the end for everything.”
After the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night in a stunning game where Kyrie took over, he spoke to the press about leading a young team. "It was a big deal for me because, I had to call Bron, you know. And tell him like, I apologize for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips," started Kyrie. "I wanted to be the guy that led us to the championship. I wanted to be the leader, I wanted to be all that. And the responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading a team is something that isn't meant for many people. And Bron was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and tried to really show us what it's like to win a championship. And it was hard for him." Check out the full statement below.