LeBron James passionately defends Kyrie Irving as the Nets star sits in the crowd to watch his own team play

Because of new COVID-19 regulations in New York City, Kyrie Irving is now allowed to enter Barclays Center to watch the Brooklyn Nets play. However, he’s still not allowed to suit and play for his squad in home games.

Irving is in attendance for Brooklyn’s game against the New York Knicks on Sunday, but he’s obviously not taking the floor. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the development.

James and Irving, of course, played together on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Together, they formed one of the best duos in the league and led the Cavs to three straight NBA Finals. Cleveland took home one title during that span.

Irving infamously asked for a trade from the organization in the 2017 offseason. Cleveland dealt him to the Boston Celtics, where the seven-time All-Star played for two seasons. Today, he’s with the Nets.

As for James, he played one more season with the Cavs after Irving’s departure from Cleveland. He led the team to another NBA Finals berth in 2018, but Cleveland lost to the Golden State Warriors. Following that season, James took his talents to Los Angeles and joined the Lakers.

Right now, James has his plate full. He’s looking to lead the Lakers to a playoff appearance this season despite the team’s frustrating year thus far. L.A. is just ninth in the Western Conference with a 29-37 record at the moment.