Jeffrey Zook
Jul 28, 2017 · 6 min read

When You Lack Self Awareness, You Become Kyrie Irving


Self-awareness in life is a funny thing to acquire. As we all age, we start to learn what levers in our life lead us to where we are. How we got into our current job, our current relationship or marriage, our current set of friends and associates. Nevertheless, along that path, we all needed to develop an awareness of our strengths, our weaknesses, and more importantly ourselves. At 24, 25, 26 years old and still full of unknowns, those who have been through the journey and have seen the good with the bad have a responsibility to shape mid 20 somethings into developing a self-awareness of who they are and who they are not. Earlier this month, Kyrie Irving, Mr. Clutch Game 7, requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a move that shocked almost everyone, including your humble author. What? Kyrie wants to leave LeBron James, on purpose? He wants to give up trips to the Finals every year LeBron is on the team, on purpose? He wants to never play games in May, June, on purpose? He wants to win 35 games a year, on purpose? What is he thinking, what does he want, why is he doing this? All these questions have been running through my head and many sports fans, both in Cleveland and across the country. If you took sides (which everyone does in an instant), most of the reaction was about 70% “what in the hell is Kyrie doing, he’s selfish” and 30% was “he wants his own shine, his own team, his own moment, good for him”. Not everything in life has to be ‘debated’ with counter arguments to justify points of view. The simple answer to the question “why did Kyrie do this” is simple: he lacks basic self-awareness.

Before LeBron James joined the Cavs in 2014, the franchise was a train wreck of bad draft choices, terrible coaches (what’s up Byron Scott!) and a terrible owner (more on him later). Kyrie had just played 3 straight years in this nightmare and had the emotional scars to prove it. Many a night watching the Cavs in 2012, 2013, you would hear Kyrie after another loss say “ just gotta keep grindin, onto the next one, it’s the nba” or something to that effect. Losing became a way of life and Kyrie accepted his fate. In 2014, even after he watched this franchise and Dan Gilbert mess up hire after hire, roster move after roster move, he inked a 5 year extension with the team with the promise of “this is your ship, we are building the future around you”. No promise of new players, no assurances with a new rookie coach from Israel coming in, just a promise of “time to shine Kyrie”. Then the crater hit the franchise, LeBron came back. It could be very understandable if Kyrie felt betrayed by Dan Gilbert, almost mislead by him….” I was supposed to be the #1, I was supposed to get the shine…” and now this guy is coming back to suck all the oxygen out of the ball? Nevertheless, a funny thing happened to Kyrie and his teammates, they started to win and win big. NBA Finals in 2014, NBA Finals in 2015, NBA Championship in 2016, NBA Finals in 2017, a new shoe deal for Kyrie, a new contract for Tristan Thompson, a new contract for J.R. Smith. Every Sunday on national T.V. None of this happens if LeBron James does not come back to the franchise. Zero. Nobody’s brand grows to these levels, no huge contracts are given out, and Dan Gilberts franchise does not skyrocket in value (temporary value) without King James.

The honest rebuttal to this is: “if LeBron didn’t have Kyrie, he doesn’t have ring #3. Kyrie made the biggest shot in franchise history”. True indeed. LeBron is not without fault in this situation or many in his past situations, as his constant toying with franchises, non-commitment, and general passive aggressive actions lead many to start taking irrational decisions (remember Pat Riley famously said of LeBron, “smiling faces and hidden agendas…”). When the person who is responsible for everything will not ever commit to you or the franchise, funny stuff starts to happen. People get paranoid. People start to look out for themselves. People start to listen to the outside noise and “time to get your shine” birdies. This is what is happening to Kyrie Irving. He is being pulled into the vortex of uncertainty caused by LeBron James and is making a rash and wrong decision. He is trying to proactively change his trajectory before LeBron can force onto Kyrie something he does not want, or does he want?!?! One of the main reasons given to answer the “why is Kyrie doing this” question has been that he wants to have his own team , his own situation, he’s tired of being #2, and he wants to show the world how great of a player he is…

What exactly does he need to prove to anyone, and who is asking for it or doubting his great talent? Kyrie has made multiple all-star games, multiple finals trips, one of the most popular shoes sold by Nike, a fresh trip to China where he got the Kobe rock star treatment. He has the respect and admiration from the public, players (Kevin Durant recently said he is better than A.I. going to the hole!) and even that darn media who rarely compliment anyone. He’s Uncle Drew, Mr. Clutch, Mr. Nike in China, has it all…..so what gives? This is where your circle, friends, and family need to provide perspective when you in your mid 20’s may not quite have it yet. You have to be self-aware in life and understand how you got somewhere, what was in your control, and what you are benefiting from in each situation. Kyrie has all these accolades because of his own talent, his own, performances, and because LeBron James came back to the Cavs and got Kyrie on TV every week and every June. Without LeBron coming back, Kyrie is playing on a 40–45 win Cavs team and maybe sniffing the 8 seed in the playoffs. Many times people say Kyrie wants what John Wall has, his own team built on his talents and desires. What???? You want that, no chance to ever play into June, no shoes contract (seriously, John Wall does not have a shoe deal). Why does Kyrie think he can go to China and be the face of Nike, because he won 35 games a year and never played on national TV? Time to get real Kyrie…

When Kyrie was thinking about demanding a trade from the Cavs, the people he trusts the most should have given him guidance that what he was going to do lacked self-reflection and awareness about who he is, where he currently is, and why he has the things he does. Kyrie clearly does not have self-awareness about his situation, and because he is only in his mid-20’s it’s the responsibility of his crew and inner circle to provide that for him. Somewhere along the way Kyrie actually said the phrase “I don’t want to play with LeBron James anymore” to Dan Gilberts face. If this is true, all fine and maybe understandable in the FUTURE. However, LeBron is guaranteed 1 more year in Cleveland, and if he leaves you get your franchise back, torch passed. You also get a guaranteed crack at the Warriors again and continue to grow your fan base in China being on TV in June. You sell more shoes. All wins. If LeBron actually decided to stay in Cleveland after 2018, then if you want to do your own thing, go do it. You actually control your destiny Kyrie, you don’t have to try to outdo LeBron in being LeBron. Taking a preemptive strike to get out ahead of LeBron is foolish and misguided. It’s also terrible planning and timing on his part. Moreover, this should be quite visible to his family and close circle if it’s so obvious to the common fan and media member. When a LeBron James comet goes by once in a lifetime, you ride that thing until it is no longer possible. Many guys in the NBA would die to be in this situation and he is willingly giving it up to prove something to someone at some point in his life. When you can’t see who you are and why you are, you start to say the sentence “I don’t want to play with the best/ most unselfish on court basketball player in the last 25 years”….

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade