The Kyrie Irving saga continues, and by the day, more and more layers to the story unfold. One of the more recent developments was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith injecting himself into the proceedings with reporting on the thought process of LeBron James, and in short order, the best player on the planet came out firing on social media in his own defense. That, on cue, prompted a rant from Smith, and now, there is more reporting from the infamous personality.
In writing for ESPN’s The Undefeated, Smith cited the following from a “close confidant” of Kyrie Irving and his feelings toward James at this point in time.
“Kyrie isn’t saying he’s better than LeBron and should be seen that way. He’s saying he’s not about to let LeBron ‘SON’ him … treating him like he’s the child and LeBron’s the father or big brother he’s supposed to look up to.
“Kyrie knows he’s a franchise-caliber talent. He wants to be treated like it. And he’s tired of hearing about what LeBron needs, and he’s damn sure tired of hearing LeBron sound like he always needs more. As if the crew they have isn’t enough.”
It is (quite) important to reiterate that this is a source of Smith’s and only one report when it comes to Irving’s state of mind. With that said, it would explain quite a bit if true and, at the same time, would back up some of the peripheral whispers that have emerged since word of Irving’s trade request actually surfaced.
Whether Irving is actually a franchise player remains up for debate, at least in terms of whether he can lead a team to big-picture success as the No. 1 option. What isn’t controversial, though, is that James actually is that kind of player, and this reported sentiment won’t necessarily go over well as a result.
Only time will tell as to whether we can get further clarity on this, but as the entire sports world knows, Stephen A. Smith isn’t likely to back down from this kind of reporting.
