Kyrie Irving Candidly Details “Challenge” Of Playing With LeBron

Being part of the same team as LeBron James is quite a challenge, and Kyrie Irving opened up about his relationship with the king.

Irving talked to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about the challenges he faced this season. Let’s not forget that the Boston Celtics point guard and LeBron were teammates in Cleveland for three seasons.

“It’s definitely a challenge. You now become part of a championship-caliber team based on a unique talent. LeBron is so smart, so talented, such a strong leader. And you’re trying to implement who you are, and grow as a player and learn every single day. And it can be difficult because it demands a lot of you.

When young player meets king’s power

“Certain times young players — and even older ones — find it a big transition, because you’re playing a certain way, and growing as a player, and you have a vision of what your career will look like. And then this player of such great stature arrives, and you’re still trying to be great, and he’s already great. And you find yourself asking, ‘OK, what are the steps to get there?’ So now do you learn by example from watching him? Do you learn by the way he treats his body? By the way he treats his business off the court? By his philanthropic path? So you just watch and you observe.”

Irving his his fourth NBA season when LeBron returned in 2014. King James helped Irving turn into a huge player. The point guard averaged 25.5 points per game in the 2016-16 campaign.

“You also have to be aware of the expectations from the outside and how that can infiltrate your thinking. Somehow it ends up where everybody wants to play the blame game when things don’t go right. So it’s just a lot to get used to. It comes with a lot of pressures. I believe the very, very special ones, the unique ones, gladly take on that challenge, and they relish it. You can’t be afraid to challenge another great person. That’s how greatness is achieved.

It was a lot for me to figure out. The belief I have in myself goes way beyond anything that could deter me from what I want to accomplish. You can never ever, ever, ever, ever lose your sense of self while you are playing alongside a great player.”

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