After successfully requesting a trade that resulted in his move from the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving published a video titled “Thank you Cleveland,” genuinely showing his appreciation for the city and the six years he spent with the Cavs that included three straight trips to the Finals and the franchise’s only NBA championship in 2015.
Kyrie Irving thanks Cavaliers ownership in heartfelt ‘Thank You Cleveland’ message
Irving said he got to the point where he understood the best intentions for himself to be in his truth.
Irving detailed the difficulty of making his decision to forge his own legacy instead of competing for championships in the shadow of LeBron James:
“It’s hard to make videos like this because you understand the magnitude of decisions that you make in your life can affect a lot of people, all at once. And when you get to that point and you understand that the best intentions for you and ultimately to be in your truth and find out what you really want to do in your life and how you want to accomplish it, that moment comes and you take full advantage of it. And there are no other ulterior reasons other than being happy and wanting to be somewhere where it’s an environment conducive to you maximizing your potential as a human being and as a player perfecting their craft.”
He also thanked Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and former general manager David Griffin for drafting him No. 1 overall in 2011:
“I put a lot of hours in and a lot of work into just trying to accomplish things that I had dreamt of as a kid, and it started by not only going to Duke but getting drafted No. 1 by Dan Gilbert and his ownership group, Nate Forbes, and also the bald guy as he likes to be called (David Griffin), and their families. ... They took a chance on a 19-year-old kid coming off of a stubbed right toe and being in a very, very immature place at the time.”
But he did not thank any of his teammates — most notably, LeBron James — by name. Instead, he dedicated 22 words to them at the end of the video:
“And to my teammates, crazy stories, crazy experiences, and just unbelievable human beings. Y’all know how this brotherhood goes, man. All love.”
How we got here
The Cavaliers finalized a trade Wednesday night that sent Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round pick, and the Miami Heat’s 2020 second-round pick. The trade was a direct result of Irving, who reportedly no longer wanted to play alongside LeBron James and didn’t want his immediate future tied to James’ looming free agency decision in 2018.
Why it matters
If anything, Irving’s thank you video affirms his love for the city of Cleveland. He just wanted an opportunity to shine on his own, and not in the shadow of one of the greatest basketball players ever.
In Boston, he’ll have that opportunity for the foreseeable future. But his trade request shouldn’t take away from six seasons with the franchise that drafted him at age 19 in 2011.
Reaction
When Paul George and Jimmy Butler were traded out West by their respective teams, they left heartfelt messages posted on Instagram. Irving’s message was a bit more personal, and it was better for it.
There’s no telling how Cavs fans will react to Irving when he returns to The Q in Celtics green. But if anything is certain after his video, it’s that he truly cared about the city of Cleveland, and the decision to leave the Cavaliers wasn’t an easy one. But it was a decision he felt he had to make.
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