Kyrie Irving makes bombshell revelation about playing for the Lakers: “I had…”

One of the most painful separations in the history of NBA for any modern fan it will certainly be that of LeBron James It is Kyrie Irving. And everything becomes even sadder when it is known that the duo could be working together again in this 2023/24 season. According to an article by a journalist from the North American “ESPN”, Ramona Shelburnethe shipowner wanted to be by his friend’s side again after the Cleveland Cavalierseither by Los Angeles Lakers or by Dallas Mavericks. But, it didn’t work out.

It all started in the 2023 playoffs, when the number 11 played in two matches in the city of Los Angeles. One was in game six against Memphis Grizzliesin the first round, and the second was game four of the conference final against Denver Nuggets, when the team was eliminated. Shelburne revealed that he went there for a reason: to tell the number 23 that the two could play together again.

Just like old times 💯

LeBron James 🤝 Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/bRHithVXnP

— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2024

“During the warm-up, James noticed Kyrie’s presence and went to greet him. In fact, the same touch they always gave in Cleveland when they played together. Irving lives in Los Angeles in the offseason, and the Mavericks hadn’t made the playoffs in 2022/23. He, who was a free agent at that time, was very interested in playing with James again. He attended the games to pass on this message.”said the journalist.

LeBron James, according to the reporter, was open to this since before the trade Russell Westbrookwhich saved the team’s campaign California that year. “He was interested, but carefully. Westbrook was still there, and LeBron didn’t want to seem mean to his former teammate. The franchise was looking for a solution at that time, and James preferred not to get too involved.”he reinforced.

The Lakers had already shown interest in Irving several times since June 2022. After the end of the terrible 2021/22 campaign, the star was one of the franchise’s main targets. However, the shipowner ended up leaving the Brooklyn Nets for the team Texas. “The choice to try to get Irving was not an easy one for the Lakers up until that point. After reaching the Western Conference finals in an incredible turnaround in the 2022/23 season, it was difficult to give up a collective core for a star once again. So, the number 11 extension with Dallas occurred just hours after the opening of free agency. And Los Angeles focused on small adjustments and contract extensions”explained Shelburne.