“Kyrie Irving’s Done Windmills Before!?”: Richard Jefferson Went to LeBron James With Disbelief Over 6ft 2″ Guard’s ‘Athletic’ Abilities

Richard Jefferson has played with a lot of top-tier NBA stars during his 17-year career. Having played with the Nets, Bucks, Spurs, Warriors, Jazz, Mavericks, Cavaliers, and Nuggets, he was quite the journeyman. And, perhaps two of the most talented players he’s worked with are LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Playing with the Cavs between 2015 and 2017, RJ was particularly impressed by Kyrie. His athleticism was jaw-dropping and in a video that has now resurfaced, Jefferson can be seen expressing his disbelief to King James.

The 2015-2016 season was a historic one for the Cavaliers. It marked the year LBJ and company brought the city of Cleveland its first NBA Championship. They had an incredible roster, and one of the more important veterans on the team was Jefferson. He was integral in helping the Cavs come back from 3-1 down against the Warriors, securing himself a championship ring. He retired in 2018 but still remains on good terms with both Kyrie and Bron.

Richard Jefferson was astounded by Kyrie Irving and his athleticism on the Cavaliers

Back in 2016, during pre-game warm-ups, Kyrie Irving the starting point guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers was going through the motions. At one point, he attempted a windmill dunk but failed to slam it in. It was a moment of freakish athleticism that surprised many including then-NBA veteran, Richard Jefferson.

He immediately confronted Kyrie, asking him if he had ever dunked a windmill before. To his surprise, Uncle Drew admitted that he had done it before.

Jefferson: “Yo! You’ve done windmills before? Ai…I didn’t know that! 

Safe to say, Jefferson had a bewildered look on his face, as he went to confirm these claims with LeBron James, who just acted out Irving’s attempt.

Jefferson: “Ky’s [Kyrie Irving’s] done windmills before! I didn’t know that!”

Kyrie’s windmill attempt had Richard Jefferson surprised 😂 pic.twitter.com/lelCF01q20

— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) August 30, 2023

In hindsight, it isn’t that surprising. Prior to being selected by the Cavs in the 2011 NBA Draft, Kyrie registered a 34.5-inch vertical in the combine. Considering the fact that he stands at just 6’2″, Kyrie has serious hops, ranking as one of the highest in his draft class. A windmill dunk is easy work for him.

Kyrie truly is a special athlete. His incredible athleticism aside, he is a well-rounded basketball player capable of doing anything and everything on the court. From his playmaking to his ball handling to his impressive shooting ability. He certainly is one of the best point guards in NBA history.

Jefferson picks Irving over both LeBron James and Stephen Curry to take the last shot to save his life

As mentioned earlier, Kyrie Irving is an impressive shooter. He can hit a three-pointer with the best of them, and on top of that, he has the “clutch” gene. His ability to hit game-winning jumpers is so good, that Richard Jefferson once claimed he would pick Kyrie to take the last shot to save his life. What’s more, he’d take the Mavs star over the likes of Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

“He’s not the best person I’ve ever played, because I played with Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki and Bron and Steph and all these people, but the person that hit the biggest shot that I’ve been part of is Kyrie.”

As Jefferson stated, Kyrie certainly isn’t the best player he’s worked with, but his ability is undeniable. The shot he refers to is the iconic three he hit over Steph in the 2016 Finals. A shot that many consider to be the turning point in Game 7. With that in mind, it’s hard for anyone to disagree with RJ. High praise for Irving, but praise that is well deserved.