Often criticized for his atypical leadership, which some fully describe as a lack of leadership, was Kyrie Irving badly influenced by … LeBron James? Some think so, notably an elder of the house.
And LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gleaned one of the most beautiful rings in history together, their collaboration was marked by several misunderstandings, tensions, and sometimes even downright muddles. We remember that a year ago, Uncle Drew, then at the Celtics, had also taken his phone to apologize to James.
However, some are convinced that it is not all Irving’s fault, far from it. For Ryan Hollins, a former Cavs who became consultant and teammate to Kyrie during a season, LeBron must be blamed for having set the young leader a bad example.
Guest of the Brandon Robinson podcast, he emptied his bag earlier in the week:
Kyrie is a great guy. Humble, feet on the ground, cool… He doesn’t want to be in the norm, he doesn’t care about being in his own world. I think right now, he wants to assert himself for what he is, he wants the respect he deserves.
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However, it still has to mature a lot. I watch the intentions of the heart. I know who he really is, compared to how he tried to stand up to LeBron at 25. But I think their muddle left a bad mark on Kyrie. It was not good business.
It’s related to things LeBron did. You know, Kyrie learned poor leadership from LeBron, and that influenced what he did. But he’s very smart, and he’s trying to figure out how to become a leader. Because I don’t think he’s a natural leader.
It is true that during his return to Ohio between 2014 and 2018, James sometimes had questionable attitudes, like the dismissal of David Blatt who clearly bears his mark. In his post-Cavs period, did Kyrie clumsily try to apply the same behavior as the King, without having neither the skills nor the legitimacy? Well possible.
Fans of the 2 men can in any case be satisfied with the recent reconciliation, and especially the sublime ring gleaned in 2016. The highlight? The famous shoot of Kyrie Irving in Game 7, an idea submitted by… the King during the preceding time-out.
If Irving has certainly recovered some bad capricious habits from LeBron James, it would be far too simplistic to forget everything he learned alongside him. Now it’s up to him to put it in place, and in the right way this time, in Brooklyn.
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