Kyrie Irving Credits Kobe Bryant For Guiding Him Through Trade Rumors
Lakers Vs. Celtics Preview: L.a. Looks To Snap Boston’s Nine-game Winning Streak
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA landscape was dramatically altered last offseason when Kyrie Irving expressed his unhappiness with the Cleveland Cavaliers and demanded a trade from the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

Irving, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Cleveland, desired a change of scenery and no longer wanted to share the spotlight with LeBron James. Irving’s shocking request led to a hectic summer for the Cavaliers, which began with a huge shakeup in their front office.

Now they had to account for consummating a deal on the fly involving one of the brightest stars in the league.

During the lengthy process, Irving contacted Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and received some valuable advice that helped him gain clarity on the situation, via Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post:

“Not necessarily to gauge his thoughts on the decision, or to give me the okay, but it was for some clarity and also what the next steps going forward [would be].

“Because there was some chance I was going to maybe be in Phoenix, or maybe in situations where the environment hadn’t been winning for a while, and Kobe dealt with that in 2005-06, and that was tough. So I had to ask him, and gauge him about that.

“But after the fact, after everything happened, he was just super proud, and super happy.”

After a summer full of trade rumors, Irving was nearly dealt to the rebuilding Phoenix Suns. But in the end, he found himself headed to a better situation with the Boston Celtics, who currently reside as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Despite playing in his final game nearly two years ago, Bryant still has a long-lasting impact on today’s NBA players. Current Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma strives to emulate Bryant on the court and was appreciative of a recent conversation with the future Hall-of-Famer held over dinner.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW LAKERS NATION FORUM CLUB

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Kyle Kuzma Thought Trade To Kings Was Done Deal Before Ending Up On Wizards

The Los Angeles Lakers made arguably the biggest splash of the NBA offseason earlier this summer when they acquired…

Lakers News: Brandon Ingram Has Learned How Good Julius Randle And Kyle Kuzma Are From Watching Them While Injured

Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram has missed the last 10 games with a groin strain he sustained while taking…

Lakers Weekly Recap: What Went Right, What Went Wrong As Brandon Ingram & Rajon Rondo Returned

To begin the past week, the Los Angeles Lakers completed a brutal four game road trip in Brooklyn. The team was already depleted due to the absence of Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo…

First Look – Nike Announces Zoom Kobe VII

Nike announced the Zoom Kobe VII today and released some pictures of…