The Most Cold-Blooded Betrayals in NBA History

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
And these two just talking, going back and forth. Hold on, hold on!

**SPEAKER_3** (0:06)
These are the worst betrayals in NBA history. Starting with the betrayal that lost LeBron James a championship. It all started in the 2013 matchup between the Cavs and the Heat, when after the game, LeBron decided to shock Kyrie Irving. And when Kyrie heard this, he straight up told the organization, We don't need that, what's he talking about? And just like that, Kyrie's resentment for LeBron started. From day one, their partnership was a ticking time bomb.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:33)
Kyrie, question for you, since you obviously were here with Cleveland First, what does it mean to you to be able to come out here?

**LeBron James** (0:38)
Second.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:39)
Second, okay, let's get that straight.

**LeBron James** (0:40)
I was here first.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:41)
There you go.

**LeBron James** (0:42)
And then I came back, but don't worry about it. Go ahead, keep going.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:45)
But two years later, their world was about to flip upside down. After losing to the Warriors in 2014, the Cavs made the NBA finals for the second straight year. Against who? The 73 and nine Golden State Warriors. And it didn't take long before they found themselves down three games to one. Only this time, they shocked the world. The series would come down to a single game. Scratch that, the final two minutes. Two minutes to win an NBA championship. Little did people know, the entire city of Cleveland got goose bumps.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:17)
Igadola to Curry, back to Igadola, up to the layup. Oh, blocked by James. LeBron James with the rejection.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:24)
But the job wasn't finished. With a minute remaining, the score was still tied at 89 And Tyronn Lue knew he couldn't go back to LeBron.

**SPEAKER_8** (1:31)
So I'm looking like, I'm going to Kyrie.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:34)
So instead, the entire weight of the world rested on one man's shoulders, Kyrie Irving.

**SPEAKER_9** (1:40)
Irving and Curry, one on one. Irving puts it up.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:43)
It's good. Kyrie Irving from downtown. And the Cavaliers by three.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:49)
Let that sink in for a second. These two stars just brought Cleveland their first ever championship. Do you think that'd be enough to keep Kyrie satisfied for years? I mean, Savannah certainly seems satisfied.

**D'Angelo Russell** (2:01)
I think LeBron James is the baddest moth- Mom.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:07)
But in 2017, the Warriors got the Revennes in just five games. That's when out of the blue, Kyrie decided he had enough.

**LeBron James** (2:15)
I heard that Kyrie wanted to be traded. I had a ton of emotions.
You know, I was wondering if something I could have did better to make him not want to be traded. Is it the way that the season finished or was it me coming back in the first place?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:38)
Sheesh, no one saw that one coming, especially LeBron. So when the Cavs started struggling in 2018, nobody was happier than Kyrie. During one game, LeBron was feeling particularly fed up. This was all Kyrie needed to put a smile on his face. But LeBron isn't one to give up that easy. Despite finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, LeBron was on a revenge tour. Because in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron found himself against an old friend, Kyrie Celtics versus LeBron's Cavs. Win and make it in to the NBA Finals. Better yet, the series all boiled down to a pivotal game seven. That's when LeBron said, F Boston.

**SPEAKER_9** (3:14)
5 on the 24, James drives, gets in the paint, falling away, is up and good. A couple of heavyweights going at it, Mark. James just overpowers though, just two.

**SPEAKER_11** (3:24)
And that led to the double and the easy cut.

**SPEAKER_9** (3:26)
James for three, that's good. Tipped and taken by James. Here comes James in the upper floor.

**SPEAKER_7** (3:32)
James, grab from behind, count it, goal ten and one.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:36)
35 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists? Bro made that shit personal. And it was at this moment that Kyrie realized he had made a huge mistake. It was time to swallow his pride and offer LeBron an apology.

**Kyrie Irving** (3:51)
I had to call Bron, you know, and tell him, like, you know, I apologize for being that young player that wanted to everything at his fingertips, and I wanted everything to be at my threshold. I wanted to be the guy that led us to the championship. I wanted to be the leader, I wanted to be all that, and you know, the responsibility of being the best player in the world and leading a team is something that's not meant for many people. And Bron was one of those guys that came to Cleveland and tried to really show us what it's like to win a championship, and it was hard for him.