Tracy McGrady believes Kyrie Irving would give LeBron James a tough time in a 1-on-1 setting

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving won an NBA title together for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. The former teammates are two of the best players in the league, and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady believes Irving could give James a run for his money in a one-on-one game.

In an appearance on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast, McGrady spoke about a variety of topics. One of those topics was about who could give "The King" problems in a one-on-one situation. McGrady said he believes Irving may have a shot at defeating a prime James.

"He will be a problem, even somebody like Kyrie despite LeBron's size," McGrady said. "Kyrie will be tough for LeBron to even guard in his prime. We haven't really seen Kyrie's skill set. We're seeing snippets, but it's hard to really display your ultimate skill set in a 5-on-5 setting.

"1-on-1, Kyrie, you'll probably see things that you've never seen before. Even me, like what I just displayed on the NBA, I had more to give in my bag that you guys didn't see. I didn't need to bring that out."

One of the reasons Tracy McGrady is seemingly infatuated with one-on-one game debates is because he owns Ones Basketball League. It's a competition that looks for the best one-on-one players in the United States.

Kyrie Irving played LeBron James 1-on-1 in Cleveland

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James during their time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kyrie Irving opened up about his career during a recent appearance on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast. Irving spoke about a bunch of interesting topics, including his tenure with the Cavaliers. The Brooklyn Nets superstar revealed that he wanted to prove he was the best player on the team when he was in Cleveland.

It meant that he challenged every player on the Cavaliers roster, including LeBron James. Irving mentioned that he played a one-on-one game against James. However, he did not reveal who won despite pleas from hosts Brandon Marshall, Pacman Jones and Shady McCoy.

"I was coming in every day like 'Yo, I'm better than you, you, you, you, you, I don't care y'all can lineup 1-v-1 we can go right now,'" Irving said. "That energy was me every day, so you know, me going against 'Bron 1-on-1, and we played one time. I'm not gonna tell y'all who won or lost, but we had fun going back and forth."

It's going to be a very interesting summer for both Kyrie Irving and LeBron James. Irving is eligible to sign a new max deal with the Nets. However, he's coming off a strange season. He barely played due to his vaccination status and made sporadic appearances.

Meanwhile, James had a great individual season, but the LA Lakers were disappointing. He's entering the final year of his deal and is eligible to sign a new two-year contract. His decision could hinge on the Lakers' offseason moves.