Kyrie Irving has taken over the NBA’s spotlight ever since reports surfaced that he wants out of Cleveland in order to escape LeBron James’ shadow.
Irving’s displeasure has started a messy breakup, as videos and further reports continue to surface – acting as gasoline to a fire that has just started to smoke.
The NBA is no stranger to breakups – from ones involving players, coaches, and presidents, to even team owners. While the feud between Irving and James has potential, it still has a ways to go if it’ll one day be among the worst splits in league history.
7. Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics
Because of a grudge with Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship roster won’t be in full when they meet for their 10-year anniversary party.
Allen did set an NBA Finals record at the time with 22 three-pointers through six games, but that seems to be of little importance to players like Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. His former teammates have bashed him on live television, primarily for his decision to join the rival Miami Heat as a free agent in 2012.
But before Allen’s decision, the Celtics went through their own internal issues. As Rondo grew into a star, friction escalated between him and Allen. They reportedly had to be separated in the locker-room, after Allen thought he was being intentionally looked over by his point guard.
6. Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards/Javaris Crittenton
Just as the Washington Wizards were starting to gain some relevancy in the late 2000s, their superstar decided to shoot it all down by bringing guns to their locker-room.
Gilbert Arenas, a three-time all-star who had just signed a six-year deal worth $111 million, and Javaris Crittenton reportedly brandished guns in 2009 over gambling debts. When the league found out, Arenas didn’t shy away, mimicking the firing of two guns during a pre-game introduction.
Then-commissioner David Stern would suspend Arenas for 50 games, and the Wizards couldn’t recover. They’d miss the playoffs for four straight seasons, and trade Arenas to shed their toxic label around the league. “Agent Zero” would later be waived by the Magic in 2011, but he still collected checks from the Wizards until 2016 as they stretched his deal.
5. Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson
Before getting fired by the Knicks in July, Phil Jackson might have been the first member of an NBA front office to subtweet his very own star player.
Along with publicly criticizing Anthony and plummeting his trade value, Jackson led the Knicks to three consecutive losing seasons. He even went as far as saying Anthony “would be better off somewhere else” in April.
What makes their breakup even worse is that they agreed to be with one another in 2014 when Anthony was a free agent. Jackson knew what type of spots (or leopard) he was getting, while the 10-time all-star picked a losing franchise that was committed to using a system he hates in the triangle offence.
4. Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors
Vince Carter went from putting the Toronto Raptors on the map, to being booed every time he stepped onto the Air Canada Centre floor.
Carter, who demanded a trade, had clarity issues with the Raptors front office that started a nasty breakup. His wish was fulfilled, but the hate from Toronto’s fan base continued to grow. There was a report that Carter shared the Raptors’ plays with a rival team, and there was also an interview where he said he didn’t push himself hard enough when with the Raptors.
“In years past, no. I was just fortunate to have the talent ” said Carter to John Thompson. “You know, you get spoiled when you’re able to do a lot of things and you see that, and you really don’t have to work at it. But now, with all the injuries and all the things that have gone on, I have to work a little harder and I’m a little hungrier.”
But when they were together, a lot of their problems were petty. They argued over Carter’s mother’s parking spot at the ACC, to him travelling to Chapel Hill, N.C., to get his college diploma on the day of a Game 7 playoff matchup.
3. Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic/Stan Van Gundy
In his final seasons with the Orlando Magic before he was traded in 2013, Howard was labelled a “Dwightmare”. He went back and forth with his commitment to the team, teetering between trade requests and saying that “my heart, my soul and everything I have is in Orlando.“
In the centre of his breakup with the Magic was head coach Stan Van Gundy, whom Howard reportedly tried to get fired. Their split as a player-coach combo was on full display to the public, creating one of the most awkward scrum moments in recent memory.
What’s made their breakup even worse is that both sides have yet to recover. The former three-time DPOY has been on three different teams in the past three seasons, while the Magic have yet to make it back to the playoffs since trading Howard – a player who once carried them to the 2009 Finals.
2. LeBron James and Dan Gilbert
Shaquille O’Neal was the first marquee free agent to leave a franchise in ruins, but he never had quite the same impact as LeBron when he left Cleveland in 2010.
When James brought up the idea of returning to Cleveland in 2014 to his wife and mother, they were firmly against it. They hadn’t gotten over the letter Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert posted when James joined the Miami Heat.
Gilbert wasn’t the only one to not take James’ publicly televised free agency decision lightly. Fans all around Cleveland set James’ jersey on fire, as they soon watched their team become one of the worst in the league.
1. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant
It’s safe to wonder what could have been. But it’s also astonishing to remember that throughout their heated clash, O’Neal and Kobe Bryant also somehow kept their cool on their way to a three-peat.
This wasn’t O’Neal’s first feud, having gone through a similar fiasco with Penny Hardaway during his time with the Magic. But his breakup with Bryant was far more dramatic, especially under Hollywood’s lights.
As alpha dogs, they constantly barked at one another through the press. It started with O’Neal saying that he wasn’t going to babysit Bryant as a rookie, to the Black Mamba calling out the Diesel by saying he was “fat” coming into training camp in 2003.
Bryant had no interest in being a sidekick, something he made clear after their first ring. The Lakers sided with Bryant in 2004, on their way to two more championships. O’Neal would also win in Miami, but it doesn’t quite compare to the three other rings he thinks he could have won had he stayed in Los Angeles with Kobe.
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