Six weeks after the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving surprisingly requested a trade as he sought to get out from underneath the large shadow cast by LeBron James.
Although the two, along with Kevin Love, led the Cavaliers to an improbable comeback and championship in the 2016 Finals, the relationship between Irving and James seemingly deteriorated beyond repair. Irving was sent to the Boston Celtics one month after his trade demand.
Irving and James never publicly criticized one another after the trade, and appeared to bury the proverbial hatchet at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game when James drafted his former teammate to his team.