Kendrick Perkins got to be teammates with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, and he spoke about their dynamic on the Road Trippin’ podcast. When discussing James’ reaction to Irving being traded in 2017, Perkins shared how the guard idolizing Kobe Bryant affected their relationship.
“He idolized and looked up to Kob so much that he actually wouldn’t give Bron a chance to be like that big brother figure, even when y’all won it,” Perkins said. “I wasn’t there, but I’m just keeping it real. Kyrie never really looked at Bron as that big brother. Kob was that big brother to Kyrie.
“So, when he burned off, it wasn’t surprising to me, although I wasn’t there, Perkins added. “I was like, damn, they tripping. They could have ran off a few more, but he was tired of being under the shadows. Bron could never really get that arm around Kyrie, ’cause Kyrie really didn’t allow him to in my opinion.”
Perkins did make it clear that he isn’t saying that they hated each other. They just never quite ended up having the kind of dynamic that Anthony Davis and James had on the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I’m not saying they was beefing,” Perkins stated. “But you look at AD and Bron relationship compared to when you look at Kyrie and Bron relationship, it was that big brother little brother type feeling.”
James seemed to have a wonderful relationship with Davis throughout their time as teammates on the Lakers. The same cannot be said about him and Irving, who has often expressed his love for Bryant.
James and Irving were teammates on the Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017. They led the team to the NBA Finals in each of the three seasons they were together and won it all in 2016.
Just a year after that triumph, though, Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers in June 2017. It was reported that he no longer wanted to play alongside James and wanted to lead his own team.
The Cavaliers fulfilled Irving’s wish by sending him to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets‘ 2018 first-round pick. The trade actually didn’t end up working out for either party. None of those players ended up making a big impact for the Cavaliers, while Irving would leave the Celtics in 2019.
So, one can’t help but wonder what might have been if Irving had never left the Cavaliers. Tyronn Lue was the head coach at the time, and he feels the duo would have won two or three titles together, provided Kevin Durant never joined the Golden State Warriors.
James and Irving reportedly didn’t speak for years after their breakup, but are on good terms now. Kyrie has even expressed regret over his departure from the Cavaliers.
James certainly was the winner in that breakup. He led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals again in 2018 and would go on to win another championship with the Lakers in 2020.
Irving, meanwhile, had one too many disappointing seasons in the years that followed, but would finally taste some success with the Mavericks. He helped the team get to the NBA Finals in 2024, and it will be fascinating to see how far he and Davis can take them in the coming years.
