“That was a crazy a** question”: Kyrie Irving shuts down LeBron James ‘father figure’ narrative as he recreates viral interview with his father

Back when Kyrie Irving was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had a viral moment in which a reporter asked him about the parental role that LeBron James has played in his career. Flustered for a moment, Irving insisted that he had just one father before talking about the guidance that James provided from a basketball standpoint.

The Dallas Mavericks star recreated his response to this question in a Twitch stream. This time, his dad was right beside him to hear what he had to say.

"I only have one father, Drederick Irving," the nine-time All-Star said, pointing to his dad. "I'm glad we got to recreate that meme, bro. 'Cause that question was crazy. When somebody asked me if LeBron was like a father figure to me ... that was a crazy a** question."

Irving, who turned 33 in March, also pointed out the narrow age gap between him and his 40-year-old former teammate.

"He's, like, a few years older than me. You asked if this man was a father figure to me. I got my father right there, Drederick Irving! No disrespect, bro," Irving said.

Although Irving didn't exactly consider James to be a "father" in his life, their partnership in Cleveland brought a much-awaited NBA championship to the Cavaliers franchise in 2016. But, just a year later, Irving requested for a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Boston Celtics.

Though Irving's relationship with James had been rocky at certain points, he has since opened up about the growth of their personal bond in recent years. During the 2024 NBA Finals, Irving said that he and LBJ have both been able to "mature and really appreciate what we got to accomplish."

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"Blocked by James": Kyrie Irving and Andre Iguodala chuckle about iconic LBJ moment in 2016 NBA Finals

Interestingly, James' name came up once again on Irving's Twitch stream over the weekend. As Irving prepared to interview Andre Iguodala, the former Golden State Warrior checked the livestream's chat and read one particular comment out loud.

"Blocked by James," Iguodala said as he and Irving chuckled. [Timestamp - 1:11]

This comment, of course, is a reference to Iguodala's infamous moment in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 89-89, Iguodala caught a Steph Curry pass and went for a layup in transition. With extraordinary athleticism, James caught up to Iguodala and swatted the ball away, leading commentator Mike Breen to yell, "Blocked by James!"

A minute later, Irving drained a clutch three to put the Cavaliers ahead for good, sealing the NBA title win and exacting revenge on Iguodala and the Warriors, who had defeated them in the Finals the year prior.