Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recently shouted out former teammate Kyrie Irving on social media for his incredible pregame dribbling drill.
Irving is one of the best ball-handlers in the history of the sport. His dribbling skills have regularly made it difficult for defenders to stay in front of him in games. It is also part of what helped him and James win an NBA title together when they played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs won the championship in the 2015-16 season. James won NBA Finals MVP honors, but Irving helped plenty as the team came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Cleveland failed to repeat as champs in the following season, as they lost to the Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals.
The 2016-17 season marks the last time that James and Irving played together. The point guard requested a trade in the 2017 offseason, leading to him being shipped to the Boston Celtics. He is now with the Brooklyn Nets.
Irving has not won a championship since 2016. On the other hand, James joined the Lakers in the 2018 offseason and claimed his fourth NBA title in the 2019-20 season.
This season, L.A. had championship aspirations again after trading for Russell Westbrook in the 2021 offseason. However, things have not gone according to plan. The Lakers have dealt with many issues, and they continue to struggle on the court.
The Lakers are currently out of the playoff picture with a 31-46 record. They are a game behind the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, which happens to be the last play-in tournament spot.
