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Nets: Kyrie Irving throws true shade at LeBron James with latest KD compliment

ByJerry Trotta|
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against Kyrie Irving #11 during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 23, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against Kyrie Irving #11 during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 23, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)

Nets PG Kyrie Irving threw clear shade at LeBron James with his latest compliment for teammate Kevin Durant.

It goes without saying that Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has caught some flak over the years for his tendency to make comments that hold little to no value based on their lack of context.

In fairness to the six-time All-Star, the media has taken this narrative and overblown it by asserting he’s an awful teammate and detrimental to a locker room, so we generally go to great lengths to defend him from such unfair criticism.

However, that simply isn’t possible in light of Irving’s latest polarizing remarks. The former No. 1 overall pick threw some entirely unnecessary shade at LeBron James while complimenting Nets teammate Kevin Durant during an appearance on”The Ects Podcast.”

Irving is likely referring to his game-winning three in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which is objectively one of the biggest shots of all time considering the stakes. However, it seems that Irving completely forgot that he was James’ teammate for four seasons in Cleveland. That, or he’s taking an intentional dig at the four-time MVP and you know what? We’re going to side with the latter on this one.

It’s well-documented that Kyrie and LeBron, despite their compelling chemistry on the court, didn’t always get along during their run with the Cavaliers. We all remember the Duke product demanding a trade because he was fed up playing second fiddle to James and wanted to be the alpha on his own team, right?

Forfeiting a seemingly annual ticket to the Finals for the chance to prove he can lead a team to the promised land by himself was a bizarre hill to die on for Irving and he ultimately apologized to James for “being that young player that wanted everything at his fingertips,” amid his trying tenure in Boston.

We all know that LeBron takes his game to an entirely new level in the playoffs and he’s made numerous clutch shots on that stage over his career. It’s not even necessary to dive into a statistical breakdown to back that statement up, so let’s leave you with this: James has the most game-winning shots at the buzzer (five) in playoff history.

Irving dismissing that or refusing to accept it as a fact – especially while James is closing in on his fourth career championship — leads us to believe that his apology was disingenuous or he still has unresolved beef with The King. Whatever the case, expect LBJ to use these comments as motivation as his Lakers look to close out a hobbled Heat team in the Finals.

The bottom line is that Irving could have easily complimented Durant without coming at a former teammate who is largely the reason he has a title on his resume in the first place. We expect better from the Nets point guard.