The Cleveland Cavaliers have been through a lot, especially in recent times.
From bottom-feeders to championship contenders, from lottery teams to making the NBA Finals, it’s been a wild ride.
Needless to say, most of that story has been marked by the LeBron James era, which is why Kyrie Irving had some big shoes to fill early in his career.
When asked about it, Irving admitted that he had to put a lot of pressure on him if he wanted to live up to what those Cavs fans expected:
“I had my first and only draft workout here. The amount of pressure I was putting on myself, coming in after the prodigal son — LeBron James — leaves, and I had to take on the ropes after that. Who knows if I was ever going to live up to that billing? I put that pressure on myself to fill some shoes that were never meant for me. I just wanted to create my own legacy. In order to do that, I had to endure some rough years where we only had a few thousand people in the stands. I was feeling, at times, going home like a lone ranger or a superhero trying to bring Cleveland back to the top.”
Kyrie Irving on returning to Cleveland: "The amount of pressure I was putting on myself coming in after the prodigal son, LeBron James, leaves, and I had to take on the ropes after that. Who knows if I was ever going to live up to that billing. But I put that pressure on myself.” pic.twitter.com/ytnF3Ca1ci
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) December 27, 2022
Unfortunately, Kyrie wasn’t able to replicate James’ success in ‘The Land’ in the early stages of his career.
However, he did play a pivotal role in their multiple title runs and their lone NBA championship in 2016.
Of course, living up to LeBron James’ standards is a nearly-impossible task, even for one of the most talented players we’ve ever seen.
But at least, Irving can rest assured that he wrote his name in franchise history, and some fans will forever be grateful for all the did.
