Kyrie Irving compared his relationship with LeBron James to Kobe and Shaq

As Kyrie Irving prepared for his third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, he spoke to Kobe Bryant about his relationship playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal as they ran off three straight NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He did so in order to avoid making the same mistakes with LeBron James as Bryant did with O’Neal, who went on to pursue another championship in Miami after a power struggle with Bryant.

”It’s a tough balance. Because everyone knows, Shaq was really dominant and [had] a lot of the individual accolades ... unbelievable,” Irving said, according to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin. “And that’s who he was. And Kobe was just consistently working on his game and consistently trying to prove everyone all the time. And you got to commend somebody for that.

“That just shows the true testament of their will and what they’re willing to do and what they’re willing to sacrifice, but I know I don’t want to look back and say that I let my selfishness get in the way of us winning championships, because we have unbelievable talent on this team and unbelievable players, and so I don’t want to ever take that for granted.”

As dominant a duo as James and Irving have been, there’s always been the tangible disparity in age.

James is 32 years old, has claimed four league MVP awards, and three NBA championships. He’s heralded as an all-time great, and his playing career isn’t nearing its end yet.

Irving, on the other hand, is somehow only 25 years old. He’s in his sixth NBA season, but the past three have given him the wisdom and experience of a 10-year vet. Irving’s an All-Star MVP, an Olympic gold medalist, an NBA champion, and one of the most dangerous perimeter scorers the league has to offer.

That distance in age is similar to that of Kobe and Shaq, who were seven years apart. Many felt the dynamic duo could have gone on to win more championships had they put their differences aside and prioritized winning rings.

But it appears Irving has learned from Bryant’s messages and prioritized winning championships and cementing his legacy over the individual accolades. We saw Russell Westbrook break almost every triple-double record in NBA history this season only to be knocked out of the first round of the Western Conference playoff picture. He needs help, the kind of help that can only come by way of talent and sacrifice.

Irving seems to understand that. He’s only 25 and has accomplished more than most could over multiple playing careers. The floor will be his someday to lead a team to the promised land.

Until then, Irving is learning from and competing alongside an all-time great while simultaneously coming into his own as a leader. That isn’t a bad place to be. Not at all.