Kyrie Irving Breaks Down His LeBron James, Cavaliers Fallout

One of the more shocking trade requests within the past decade of NBA history has been that of Kyrie Irving asking out from the Cleveland Cavaliers during the summer of 2017– only one year removed from the franchise's historic 2016 NBA Finals victory and 3-1 comeback, and ultimately a desire to move elsewhere from the team that had hosted LeBron James and made three-straight championship appearances.

For Irving, it wasn't about another Finals run; it was about taking that next step in his playing career to become that aspired main star. And on a roster that headlined a talent like LeBron, such a result was never in the cards. Therefore, the blockbuster trade to the Boston Celtics went down weeks later, where the 2011 number-one pick would go on to get that coveted opportunity.

Irving having ill feelings towards playing with James was never the true issue, though that's a storyline that spun out of control once leaving. But now, eight years later, Irving himself spoke about his divorce with both James and the Cavaliers, effectively ironing out any confusion that may have transpired.

During a recent Twitch stream, Irving turned the clock back to 2017 and discussed his split with the Cavaliers, where the main takeaway was clear: for Irving, it was simply his time to move on.

"When you're playing with someone like [James], or somebody you like to compare him to, it's a different animal," Irving said. "It's a different journey; you're automatically expected to be at the top of the league. Every time you play with [James], it's going to be a lot of media attention, a lot of narratives, spun narratives, politics, a lot of s--- that people don't see in front of the camera. And for me, I was just a young person trying to figure it out. It's not that I disliked playing with [James] at any time; it was just literally my time to move on."