Home Basketball LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who is presently playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, showered former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving with adulation in a recent podcast episode.

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who is presently playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, showered former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving with adulation in a recent podcast episode.

Basketball — 06/05/2024

In a recent podcast episode, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James heaped lavish praise on his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving, who is currently competing for an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks.

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James called Irving “the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen” and said he has the “best gifts” James has ever witnessed in an NBA player. He reminisced about calling Irving “The Wizard” during their time as teammates, because there was seemingly nothing Irving couldn’t do on the basketball court.

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James was particularly impressed by Irving’s ambidextrous shooting prowess, noting that he is sometimes more effective using his left hand than his right. He described one of Irving’s left-handed game-winning shots as “one of the most ridiculous shots I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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While James is “so f–king happy and so proud” to see Irving’s growth, he is also “so f–king mad” that they are no longer teammates. The two stars reached three straight NBA Finals together with the Cavaliers, winning the 2016 championship, before Irving requested a trade in 2017.

Irving will now have the opportunity to win his second NBA title when the Mavericks face the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Finals, which begin on Thursday.