Kyrie didn’t know LeBron would return to Cleveland when he signed his extension.

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft. The former Duke superstar enjoyed three seasons as the franchise player. Having gotten used to the freedom and fan attraction, Irving could enjoy this for many years ahead—until he couldn’t anymore.

To kick off the 2014 free agency, Cleveland’s higher-ups (including coaches) met with Irving and his agent to give their star a rundown of what they envisioned for the franchise. Keep in mind: LeBron James, who was an unrestricted free agent, wasn’t mentioned to Irving in the meeting.

“When Kyrie made the decision to stay with us, we didn’t present LeBron as a free-agent option,” said Cleveland GM David Griffin, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “We were concerned what would it look like for him because Kyrie had been really active with us in recruiting everybody that was going to come if LeBron didn’t come. And was very successful as a recruiter.”

It was very possible that Irving had an issue with the Cavs’ front office not revealing its roster plans. After all, this wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill move in free agency—Cleveland was about to bring the best player in the league to the squad. By default, Irving would assume the role of ‘Robin.’

Ultimately, James and Irving led the Cavs to three NBA Finals appearances and a historic championship in their three seasons as partners. Although it was tough for Irving to absorb a slightly reduced role, he understood the benefit of playing alongside LeBron.

Kyrie didn’t want LeBron to return

Irving wasn’t thrilled about James returning to the Cavs in 2014. On their podcast, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, and Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland detailed how James’ return impacted Irving when he heard the news.

“It has been made clear to me by multiple people, Kyrie never really wanted LeBron to come back [to Cleveland] in the first place. He didn’t think it was necessary. LeBron said something to Kyrie on the court following a game when he was with Miami something to the effect of, ‘Keep going, keep doing what you’re doing. You never know; I could be back here one day.’ And Kyrie basically said, ‘What’s he talking about, we don’t need him.’” (h/t Jack Maloney, CBSSports.com)

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side

Irving was sent to the Boston Celtics in 2017, where he spent two seasons. While the Celtics were dominant with Kyrie in the lineup in his first season there, they were ultimately more successful playing without the superstar point guard

In his second season, Kyrie soured on Boston nation — and Boston nation soured on him. Disappointed Celtics fans watched Irving badly underperform in the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. The word in the media went from Kyrie looking to re-sign to him aggressively looking to depart in a matter of months.

In the end, Kai was too immature to lead the young Boston squad. The team failed miserably in fulfilling its lofty expectations. Instead of shaping his legacy with a storied franchise, Irving left Boston fans with some egg on their face.