"You asked for a trade so you must hate that dude, that's not true" - Kyrie Irving reveals why he left LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers despite winning a ring

Kyrie Irving was one of the most important members of the Cleveland Cavaliers team that won the NBA championship in 2016. Alongside LeBron James, Irving made the franchise relevant again.

However, just a season after winning the only ring of his career, the seven-time All-Star decided to switch teams and go to the Boston Celtics in 2017.

In a recent interview with 'I AM ATHLETE,' Irving cleared the air around his departure from Cleveland. Initially, reports emerged that Irving and James had a rift and were done playing together. However, Irving later said he chose to make the move because the franchise had other plans.

When asked about the rumored rift between him and James, Irving replied:

"We gotta be cool as brothers, whether we're playing together or whether we're not playing together. We have to protect one another because it will seep into family life where people will really think that we don't like each other based on us not being able to play together anymore.

"You know what I mean, 'You asked for a trade, so you must hate that dude.' That's not true. So I had to defend myself. He had to defend himself. It was like I'm trying to put that to bed so I could continue to build my own legacy."

Kyrie Irving and LeBron James played three seasons together. In all of those years, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to make it to the NBA Finals.

After spending six years with the Cavs, Irving took the next big step and joined the Boston Celtics. He teamed up alongside young stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown but was never able to lead the side to the Conference finals.

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How good was Kyrie Irving as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Kyrie Irving during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving was drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 draft. He lived up to expectations and made his presence felt in his first year by winning the Rookie of the Year trophy. Despite his brilliance, the Cavaliers failed to make the postseason in his first three seasons.

However, when LeBron James decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving and the team started picking up the pace.

Irving was already an All-Star by then, but to ascend to the superstar category, he needed to make some noise in the playoffs.

James and Irving took the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals in the 2014-15 season. However, Irving and Kevin Love were injured, giving the Golden State Warriors the advantage in the series. The Cavs lost 4-2 in the series.

However, they had revenge on their minds the very next season as they came from behind to defeat the Dubs 4-3 in the NBA Finals.

Irving was an integral part of the Cleveland Cavaliers team as he made some clutch shots to get them past the finish line.

Irving and James once again combined to lead the team to the NBA Finals in 2017, but this time, the Dubs got the better of them.

After winning one ring and making multiple All-Star and All-NBA appearances, Irving decided to take up the next challenge of his career by joining the Celtics.

Despite all the narratives surrounding his exit, Kyrie Irving will certainly remain one of the best players to ever represent the Cleveland Cavaliers.