Kyrie Irving has been the subject of much conversation recently. Bearing in mind his past history of questioning authority and the powers that be (even the roundness of the earth itself), Irving has been leading the charge of players who have concerns about returning either because of COVID-19 or because of the Black Lives Matters protests.
He has done more than just “speak up” though. According to reports, he has led a conference call to express his feelings about the season and even went so far as to, allegedly, suggest players could create their own league. Obviously this campaign directly contradicts that of LeBron, who has been the biggest advocate for the season’s return.
According to Skip Bayless, Kyrie may even be trying to challenge Bron’s authority.
“I believe he was trying to challenge LeBron’s authority his pre-eminent position in this league regarded as the number one activist in all of the sports,” Bayless said. “Kyrie said ‘watch what I can activate here.’ But he didn’t have a plan that he could articulate. All of a sudden, the quietest Laker comes out of left field and all of sudden Avery Bradley takes over as the voice of the coalition and he starts making sense to me.”
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1273653054483705856
While Kyrie’s stance is certainly understandable (and there are many who share his concerns), he has failed to offer an alternate solution. He hasn’t presented a plan — which Skip says is a sign that Irving just isn’t a very good leader.
“I have still huge respect for Kyrie’s brainpower and his clutch scoring power. He’s a gifted young man both physically and mentally. But to your point, he was not born with that leadership gene that some people have and some don’t,” Bayless said on the Undisputed.
On the surface, it certainly doesn’t seem personal. LeBron and Kyrie played together for years in Cleveland before Irving eventually wanted out of LBJ’s spotlight. While their history together is far from perfect, there’s nothing to suggest Kyrie would try to challenge James’ authority just for the sake of doing so.
As for who is in charge, we all know LeBron is king. In fact, because he has been such a big advocate for the NBA’s return, it’s more likely that the season will be played.
Nevertheless, the war rages on.
