The Cleveland Cavaliers accomplished a great feat as a team when they secured a spot in their third consecutive NBA Finals Thursday night, but LeBron James also reached an impressive individual milestone. Kyrie Irving wanted to make sure the four-time NBA MVP enjoyed that moment just as much.
In the second half of Cleveland’s Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics, cameras showed Irving enthusiastically shouting into LeBron’s ear while James sat with a towel over his head. The point guard was asked about the exchange after the game.
Kyrie Irving asked about talking to LeBron James after passing Michael Jordan with most points in the NBA playoffs. pic.twitter.com/UG8uiBEyXi
— ⓂarcusD (@_MarcusD2_) May 26, 2017
“I told him not to take the moment for granted — passing M.J. in scoring,” Irving explained. “That’s an iconic moment. What he did for the culture and the game of basketball is nothing short of legendary, and I want him to enjoy it. He always shows great humility for all of his accomplishments, but this one was one that he really wanted. As a team, it was our job to bring him up to that.”
LeBron is now the all-time leading scorer in NBA playoff history, and he’s only going to distance himself further from Jordan in that category in the coming years. It’s obvious the feat means a lot to LeBron, and he tried to put that into words on Thursday.
Ultimately, LeBron’s career will be measured on championships. If the Cavs can win four more games, the comparisons between James and Jordan will start to make even more sense.
