NBA superstar LeBron James admitted being "hurt a little bit" when former Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving picked Kevin Durant as the "first clutch shooter" he ever played with.
Speaking to Richard Jefferson in the Road Trippin podcast, James addressed Irving's statements after asking for a full transcript and looked back on the three years they have spent with Cleveland.
In those three seasons, which included three consecutive Finals appearances and a championship in 2015-16 against the Golden State Warriors, James said he has been supportive of Irving.
"I was a little like, 'Damn,'" said the Los Angeles Lakers star, who recently won the 2020 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets under the inaugural bubble setup. "Once I got the whole transcript, I was like, 'Damn.' I wasn't like, 'Ah, you trippin', I've hit game-winning shots my whole life.'"
After losing in that Finals series against Golden State, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics while James stayed for another year in Cleveland before jumping ship to the Lakers.
"The whole time while I was there, I only wanted to see him be the MVP of our league. I only cared about his success and it just didn't align," said the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
"We able to win a championship. That's the craziest thing. We were still able to win a championship and we could never align. But I only cared about his well-being, both on and off the floor and it kinda hurt me a little bit."
James' reaction though was a little bit late as Irving's comments were aired during a podcast episode on The ETCs with Kevin Durant last October.
In that guesting, Irving chose Durant when asked who would take the game-winning shots among their teammates in Brooklyn.
"This is the first time in my career where I can look down and be like, 'That m**********r can make that shot too," Irving referring to Durant.
James should be having the last laugh since he captured his fourth NBA title with the Lakers but the four-time NBA champion just didn't take the comment well.
Perhaps the two old pals can settle that debate on the court once and for all when the Lakers and the Nets meet next season.