Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving observed LeBron James from close quarters when both of them spent three years together at the Cleveland Cavaliers and helped their team win the 2016 championship. Irving stated that James is still dominating and we shouldn’t act surprised.
Irving lauded James for handling himself with guile despite the lofty expectations from him day in and day out. James is playing his 20th NBA season and he is still living up to the expectations to perform consistently at the top level.
Brooklyn Nets registered a 121-104 win over the Lakers on Monday night but James didn’t play the game. Kyrie Irving top-scored for Brooklyn Nets as he scored 26 points.
“I definitely saw this when we were playing together,” Irving said. “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.”
“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,” Irving said of James. “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 also added that it is important to fix the schedule in such a way that it helps to manage the workload of the players when they are playing back-to-back matches.
“I see it from both sides,” Irving said of the conversation regarding star players and the schedule. “And I have to sit in the middle and just say we have things in the works right now that we talk about, but all in all, everybody’s body is different, everybody’s will to play is different and everybody’s desire to be out there is different. I just think those that are available to play will play and those that are not, you just got to respect their bodies and respect what they do.”
The Lakers will next take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
