Kyrie Irving got what he wanted when he was traded to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2017: An NBA team that would let him be the man. Irving was beloved in Cleveland, but he’d never be the leader of the Cavaliers, because that would forever be LeBron James’ team as long as he’d suit up in northeast Ohio.
The breakup has worked for both guys, even as James has left for Los Angeles, and it certainly seems like their relationship is in a pretty good place. As it turns out, the two are still close enough that when Irving wanted to call James and apologize for some things that happened in the past, he was able to do that relatively easily.
Following Boston’s win over Toronto on Wednesday night — one which came at a crucial time for a Celtics squad that really needed a win — Irving spoke to the media about some pointed comments he made about his team after a loss to Orlando over the weekend. Irving admitted he didn’t exactly handle that in the best manner, which he realized in the aftermath.
Kyrie Irving said he did a poor job with his public comments. “I should have kept it in-house. … I can’t do it publicly like that.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 17, 2019
Kyrie Irving: “I’ve gotta empower them. (Jaylen Brown) was right.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 17, 2019
Kyrie Irving: “I’ve gotta empower them. (Jaylen Brown) was right.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 17, 2019
Irving went on to discuss how this made an impact on him, so much so that he straight up called James following the loss to the Magic to discuss leadership and how he’s just now learning what needs to happen when you want to lead a team.
https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1085754040582004736/video/1
“I’ll tell you one thing, and obviously this is something that … it was a big deal for me because I had to call Bron and tell him, like, ‘I apologize for being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything to be at my threshold, I wanted to be the guy to lead us to championships, I wanted to be the leader,’” Irving said. “I wanted to be all that and the responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading the team is not meant for many people. Born was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and really tried to show us what it was like to win a championship, and it was hard for him, and sometimes getting the most out of the group is not the easiest thing in the world.
“Like I said, only few are meant for it or chosen for it, and I felt like the best person to call was him, because he’s been in this situation, he’s been there with me where I’ve been the young guy of being the 22-year-old kid wanting everything, wanting everything right now, coming off an All-Star year, starting, then this heck of a presence comes back and now I gotta adjust my game to this guy,” Irving continued. “You take it personal, but at the end of the day, he just wants what’s best and he has a legacy he wants to leave, and he has a window he wants to capture, so I think what that brought me back to was, like, ‘Alright, how do I get the best out of this group, the success they had last year, and then helping them realize what it takes to win a championship?’”
Something needs to happen in Boston if the Celtics wants to reach the heights so many projected before the season started — they don’t quite look like a championship-caliber squad yet, but there’s enough talent that we know a monstrous winning streak can come at any time. Irving seems to believe that changing up his leadership style a bit is a way to make sure that happens, but before he could really do that, he had to make sure he got in touch with the guy who, in retrospect, he realized was right about leadership all along.
