LeBron James and Kyrie Irving will always be connected because of their time as a deadly duo with the Cavaliers that brought the team its first NBA title in 2016. Even six years later, that mutual respect and love still holds true. Unfortunately, James thinks his former teammate hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves.
After Irving’s masterful 39-point performance in Game 1 against the Celtics on Sunday, James took to Twitter to air his frustrations that the point guard wasn’t named one of the top 75 NBA players of all-time this past fall.
“Damn shame he ain’t Top 75!” James said in a tweet.
The NBA released its 75th anniversary team this season, and James and the other 74 players were honored in Cleveland at halftime of the 2022 All-Star Game. Irving was one of the major perceived snubs as he had to watch as a fan.
Despite just turning 30 in March, Irving has already put together a first-ballot Hall of Fame career, and he had a strong case for being named to the anniversary team. He’s a seven-time All Star, three-time All-NBA selectee and was named the 2014 All-Star Game MVP. He’s also joined the exclusive 40-50-90 club just last season and was named Rookie of the Year in 2012.
This is all in addition to his historic performance alongside James in the 2016 Finals when Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 deficit in the Finals. All things considered, James’s disappointment is well warranted.
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