You can think everything is fine in Cleveland, and that any rift between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is overblown. But the following video doesn’t exactly support that theory.
A host of NBA players came out to Harrison Barnes’ wedding Saturday night, including Irving and Barnes’ former Golden State Warriors teammate, Stephen Curry. At some point, Curry decided to have fun at James’ expense, mocking the Cavs star’s penchant for dancing angrily during workouts and posting the footage on Instagram.
Pretty funny, right?
It is, especially when you look again — and see Irving in the background cheering Curry on, essentially encouraging the mocking of his own teammate (who was nowhere in sight, by the way).
Of course, this could just be harmless fun. But it’s impossible not to consider the context: Irving surprisingly has requested a trade from Cleveland to get out of James’ shadow, a development that reportedly “blindsided” the King. Irving has plenty of suitors, too, so there’s a good chance he and James will be opponents this fall after three seasons together in The Land.
If that ends up being the case, it appears Irving has gotten a head start on moving on from LeBron.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports Images
