Google News Kyrie Irving: We should celebrate 'still dominant' LeBron James
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Kyrie Irving hailed LeBron James' longevity and greatness as he noted that the 38-year-old Lakers superstar is "still dominating." On Monday night, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Lakers 121-104 on their home floor. Due to ankle soreness, James didn't play.
After scoring 26 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists, Irving spoke extremely highly of James. "We gave the keys to the whole entire business to an 18-year-old kid and now he's 38 years old and he's still dominating.
I don't think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate and celebrate him as much as possible. Continue to enjoy the shows that he put on because it's not going to be for too much longer. Whenever he decides to play [until], I'm enjoying the show.
And I wish we could have gotten a chance to play against one another but who knows what can happen down the line?" Irving said, per ESPN.
Irving learned from James
For three years, Irving and James were teammates in Cleveland.
During those three years, Irving and James won one title - they famously helped the Cavaliers return from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. During his time with James, Irving had a chance to observe James' routine and learn from him.
"I definitely saw this when we were playing together. His ability to prepare himself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, game to game, day to day. I've been quoted on saying it's hard to be LeBron James, or any superstar, or any entertainment, sport, athletic or business industry, because all eyes are on you.
But he's handled it extremely well," Irving reflected. This past offseason, there were rumors about James wanting the Lakers to trade for Irving. In the end, nothing happened as Irving stayed with the Nets and Russell Westbrook wasn't traded out of Los Angeles.