It seems like it’s inevitable: Kyrie Irving is going to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in what is sure to be one of the messiest breakups in the history of the sport. It’s already been ugly.
The NBA offseason won the summer with the Cavaliers stealing the spotlight. They’ve reached three straight NBA Finals including a championship win in 2016, but that didn’t stop Kyrie Irving from requesting a trade. Irving’s reportedly unhappy with the way that management has constructed the team and supposedly he wants to be the alpha male on a championship contender where he won’t be recognized as a No. 2 behind LeBron James. He also doesn’t want to hang around once LeBron leaves next season, leaving him with a scrap heap of a roster.
From reports that he doesn’t want to play with LeBron to the now infamous video of him laughing while Stephen Curry appears to mock LeBron’s dance moves at Harrison Barnes’ wedding, the entire situation is bizarre. Irving leaving Cleveland definitely wouldn’t be the only notable basketball breakup in recent history and it likely wouldn’t be the last either. Here is a look at the worst breakups in NBA history.
Shaquille O’Neal & Kobe Bryant
Basketball fans will always wonder what could have been if Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had found a way to co-exist and remain together with the Los Angeles Lakers. That tandem had led the Lakers to a three-peat, but that didn’t stop them from a messy breakup. After barking at one another through the press, tensions finally hit a boiling point when Shaq told the media he wasn’t going to babysit Kobe anymore and then Kobe responded by calling Shaq fat heading in to training camp in 2003. The Lakers sided with Kobe and Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat. Los Angeles would win two more championships with Kobe while Shaq went on to win another title in Miami.
LeBron James Leaves Cleveland
Irving isn’t the first star that has wanted out of Cleveland. While the circumstances are very different, LeBron also decided he wanted to leave the Cavaliers when he signed with the Miami Heat in 2010. Fans burned LeBron’s jerseys and Cleveland’s owner Dan Gilbert publicly bashed LeBron with a letter calling him out. The Cavaliers quickly became the worst team in the NBA, which is how they ended up drafting Irving in the first place. A lot has changed since 2010 including LeBron returning to win a title in Cleveland. However, in many ways the Irving situation is yet another chapter in a saga that has dated back to LeBron’s decision to leave the Cavaliers seven years ago.
Dwight Howard Leaves Orlando
Nobody will forget the infamous, “Dwightmare” headlines that graced newspapers in Orlando before Dwight Howard was eventually traded in 2013. Howard remained committed to the Magic in public but behind the scenes he went back-and-forth between trade requests before eventually leaving town. The focus of the Howard saga was his relationship with head coach Stan Van Gundy, whom Howard reportedly tried to get fired. It was one of the most awkward breakups in NBA history with the feud playing out in public as both sides attempted to deny their role in the brutal situation before Howard was eventually moved.
Vince Carter Leaves Toronto
Vince Carter put the Toronto Raptors on the map when he led them to their first playoff series win in franchise history. So when he demanded a trade a couple of years later the fans turned their collective backs and booed him every time he stepped on to the floor. The hate from Toronto would grow over the years after the Raptors received essentially nothing from the New Jersey Nets when they traded Carter. The move would come back to burn the Raptors when the Nets defeated Toronto in the postseason. Carter fueled the fire when he said in an interview that he didn’t push himself hard enough when he played with the Raptors. It seems as though all has been forgiven now, but Toronto basketball fans will never forget the brutal breakup that changed everything in 2004.
Ray Allen Leaves Boston
Carmelo Anthony’s ongoing feud with the New York Knicks might end up stealing the final spot on this list once it’s all said and done. However, for now it’s Allen leaving Boston that deserves a place on this list. Allen set an NBA Finals record at the time with 22 three-point shots in six games while helping the Celtics win a championship in 2008. However, he ended up leaving Boston to join the rival Miami Heat, which is something that hasn’t sat well with his former teammates, including Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo in particularly. Both players publicly bashed Allen for his decision to sign with Miami. According to reports, Allen’s issues in the Boston locker room extended back to previous issues between him and Rondo, including one situation where they had to be separated in the locker room. Allen went on to win a pair of titles with the Heat, which only added to the existing tensions between the two sides.
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