Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com that he has spoken to future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant about avoiding the sort of feud with LeBron James that Bryant experienced with Shaquille O'Neal when the pair played with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He also spoke about his desire to put winning ahead of his personal accomplishments:
"It's a tough balance. Because everyone knows, Shaq was really dominant and [had] a lot of the individual accolades ... unbelievable. And that's who he was. And Kobe was just consistently working on his game and consistently trying to prove everyone all the time. And you got to commend somebody for that. That just shows the true testament of their will and what they're willing to do and what they're willing to sacrifice, but I know I don't want to look back and say that I let my selfishness get in the way of us winning championships, because we have unbelievable talent on this team and unbelievable players, and so I don't want to ever take that for granted.
"Whenever that time comes and it's my time to be the leader of the franchise, then I'll be well-prepared. But for now, I'm cool with just being—I'm very, very cool with being—a great guy on a great team."
As McMenamin noted, James signed with the Cavaliers right after Irving agreed to a five-year, $90 million max contract extension as the face of the franchise in Cleveland.
Irving admitted he had something to prove early in his relationship with James:
"I think at first I was trying to prove to him who I want to be, and he was continuing to be who he is. So now we're just constantly just growing with one another, and the open dialogue between us, too, it's been great. I mean, when you're around someone every single day and you get to know them and you get to know their weaknesses, their strengths, you get to appreciate all that about one person."
The Cavaliers front office and coaching staff are pleased with how Irving has responded to playing alongside James, general manager David Griffin told McMenamin:
"I think the one thought we had was that if he embraced it, it would be a great way for him to be around a true alpha and learn how to lead. He had leadership kind of thrust upon him very early because he was our best player, but he wasn't really emotionally evolved enough to lead. He didn't want that mantle. He didn't want that responsibility. Nor should he have.
"So what's happened now, I think he's grown into that, and as he's growing as a player and as a leader, LeBron becomes much more important to him, because having that sounding board there and having that actual example set for you is a really valuable thing. So we hoped that LeBron would be the one. The dream scenario is that he raises the next great player here."
While James is still going strong, he's also 32 years old and won't be able to play at an elite level forever. Irving, meanwhile, is just 25 and is clearly the future of the franchise. He's already won a championship and been voted to four All-Star Games, and he's established himself as one of the best guards in the NBA, averaging 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game this season.
He, James and Kevin Love seem to have unlocked how to play with one another under head coach Tyronn Lue. The question is whether Irving can take on the mantle of leadership once James is no longer able to play at an elite level.
James, at least, is trying to prepare Irving for that moment:
"For me, I see Kyrie growing every single day and wanting to be great. And so me, I just try to give him the blueprint, as much as I can. You know, his experiences, he's going to learn on his own as well, and that's what he should do, but all I can do is give him the blueprint, and that's it. Because he's going to be around a lot longer than me."
Kyrie Irving Spoke to Kobe Bryant on Avoiding Shaq-Type Feud with LeBron James
He also spoke about his desire to put winning ahead of his personal accomplishments:
"It's a tough balance. Because everyone knows, Shaq was really dominant and [had] a lot of the individual accolades ... unbelievable. And that's who he was. And Kobe was just consistently working on his game and consistently trying to prove everyone all the time. And you got to commend somebody for that. That just shows the true testament of their will and what they're willing to do and what they're willing to sacrifice, but I know I don't want to look back and say that I let my selfishness get in the way of us winning championships, because we have unbelievable talent on this team and unbelievable players, and so I don't want to ever take that for granted.
"Whenever that time comes and it's my time to be the leader of the franchise, then I'll be well-prepared. But for now, I'm cool with just being—I'm very, very cool with being—a great guy on a great team."
As McMenamin noted, James signed with the Cavaliers right after Irving agreed to a five-year, $90 million max contract extension as the face of the franchise in Cleveland.
Irving admitted he had something to prove early in his relationship with James:
"I think at first I was trying to prove to him who I want to be, and he was continuing to be who he is. So now we're just constantly just growing with one another, and the open dialogue between us, too, it's been great. I mean, when you're around someone every single day and you get to know them and you get to know their weaknesses, their strengths, you get to appreciate all that about one person."
The Cavaliers front office and coaching staff are pleased with how Irving has responded to playing alongside James, general manager David Griffin told McMenamin:
"I think the one thought we had was that if he embraced it, it would be a great way for him to be around a true alpha and learn how to lead. He had leadership kind of thrust upon him very early because he was our best player, but he wasn't really emotionally evolved enough to lead. He didn't want that mantle. He didn't want that responsibility. Nor should he have.
"So what's happened now, I think he's grown into that, and as he's growing as a player and as a leader, LeBron becomes much more important to him, because having that sounding board there and having that actual example set for you is a really valuable thing. So we hoped that LeBron would be the one. The dream scenario is that he raises the next great player here."
While James is still going strong, he's also 32 years old and won't be able to play at an elite level forever. Irving, meanwhile, is just 25 and is clearly the future of the franchise. He's already won a championship and been voted to four All-Star Games, and he's established himself as one of the best guards in the NBA, averaging 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game this season.
He, James and Kevin Love seem to have unlocked how to play with one another under head coach Tyronn Lue. The question is whether Irving can take on the mantle of leadership once James is no longer able to play at an elite level.
James, at least, is trying to prepare Irving for that moment:
"For me, I see Kyrie growing every single day and wanting to be great. And so me, I just try to give him the blueprint, as much as I can. You know, his experiences, he's going to learn on his own as well, and that's what he should do, but all I can do is give him the blueprint, and that's it. Because he's going to be around a lot longer than me."
Kyrie Irving Spoke to Kobe Bryant on Avoiding Shaq-Type Feud with LeBron James
