LeBron James recently admitted that he is “mad” that he is not teammates with Kyrie Irving anymore. Irving was asked about LeBron’s comments on Wednesday during NBA Finals Media Day, quote via Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.

“I mean, I have a great reaction. It’s appreciated,” Irving said. “A lot of gratitude there as well. Obviously, I am at a different age, different place in my life. So is he.

I think we have both been able to mature and really appreciate what we got a chance to accomplish. I think there were some things that got in the way of our relationship when I was younger.

“Now that I’m able to vocalize how I feel as a man… I feel like our relationship is different because of that now. Definitely miss him… Man, when he says comments like that, I think back to us having those moments where we’re down in a series, up in a series, we’re really demanding greatness from each other.”

All LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers can do is watch the Dallas Mavericks play against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals for now. James made the admission about Kyrie while speaking on his Mind the Game podcast.

“I’m… so f**king happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth and whatever the case may be,” James said. “And at the same time, I’m so f**king mad at the same that I am not his running mate anymore.”

Mavericks happy Kyrie Irving is on their side
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) hug during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game three of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron may miss playing with Kyrie, but the Mavs are certainly happy to have him on the team. Luka Doncic, Kyrie’s current star teammate, addressed playing alongside Irving on Wednesday.

“Some things he’s done, I mean, especially in practice, it’s insane,” Doncic said of Irving. “The things he even tries in the game, it’s insane. I never seen nobody make those shots. I don’t see nobody try those shots. Obviously we know the handles. Just some shots are crazy. It’s amazing just to experience this live.”

In the end, Kyrie Irving is always ready for the big moments regardless of who his teammates are. Having great chemistry with a player like Luka Doncic helps matters to say the least, though.

“I feel like I’ve been built for this moment because I’ve gone through some of the things I’ve gone through in my past with some of the guys that have transcended the game,” Irving added later. “Shout-out to LeBron for that. Knows how to stir up a media storm, get everybody in here talking about us.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to the future and getting this series started now.”

The Mavs know the NBA Finals are going to be a challenge with the Celtics as their opponent. Dallas understands that some people may say the Celtics are the favorite. However, this Mavericks team has belief in their ability.

Kyrie Irving will likely have some extra motivation playing against his former team as well. It would not be surprising to see Kyrie have a huge series.