In 2017, Kyrie Irving wasn’t exactly happy about being in Cleveland. In fact, he went days without talking to his teammates!
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Back in 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Kyrie Irving to a massive five-year extension. The idea behind it was that Kyrie would now be the franchise player the Cavs had been needing.
For his part, Irving certainly played like a franchise superstar during his time in Cleveland. He averaged a respectable 21 points, three rebounds, and five assists per game.
He was even an integral part of the Cavs’ 2016 championship run. The one that saw him hit an extremely important three that helped seal the victory!
On this day in 2016… Kyrie Irving hit one of the most legendary game-winners in NBA History to complete a historic comeback and win Game 7 of the 2016 #NBAFinals! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/UQWMRF20ut
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 19, 2022
However, Irving’s stay in Cleveland ended on a sour note. The All-Star point guard may have played like the face of the franchise, but was second fiddle to the real face, LeBron James. As such he looked for a way out, even cutting ties with teammates.
Kyrie Irving went days without uttering a word to his teammates back when he wanted to leave Cleveland
In the 2017 off-season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were forced to break up their “Big-3” of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. All because Kyrie wanted out.
The Cavs were just coming off a disappointing Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. However, they were hoping to come back stronger. Unfortunately, Kyrie threw a wrench into those plans.
Irving decided that he was done being King James’ squire and wanted to lead a franchise himself. As such, he did all he could to get out of Ohio. In fact, it was reported that Irving went days without speaking to his teammates, creating a divide!
Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland pic.twitter.com/G0UZx2qWAe
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) July 21, 2017
Now, one can only imagine what could have been if Kyrie had stayed. Perhaps the Cavs would have won a few more rings.