Kyrie Irving Spends Time in New Jersey After Allegedly Ghosting LeBron James and Cavs Reunion Tour

Ten years ago, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers accomplished something no team had ever done before. They overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to defeat a heavily favored Golden State Warriors squad. Naturally, it is a moment Cavs fans revisit every year, and this year, the championship team came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that historic triumph. One player, however, chose to sit out the festivities.

Kyrie Irving, one-third of the Cavs' star trio that year, was not present at the reunion. Instead, he was spotted mingling with some young fans at a high school in New Jersey.

According to JR Smith, who averaged 10.6 ppg in the 2016 Finals, the invitation to join the 10-year reunion was extended to him, but Irving chose not to attend. Not only that, but the current Dallas Mavericks player also allegedly did not respond to his former Cavaliers teammates.

"Missing none. He was invited and ghosted us all," Smith commented. "So stop with that bs."

Irving was a major part of that title-winning squad. He averaged 27 points per game while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from three-point range. He delivered plenty of big moments throughout the series, none bigger than "The Shot" in Game 7, which gave the Cavaliers a 92-89 lead with the score tied. It ultimately proved to be the game-winner.

Sadly, his departure from the Cavaliers was far from pleasant and left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.

How Did Kyrie Irving's Stint in Cleveland End?

When fans talk about the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers title win over the Golden State Warriors, several key moments come to mind.

There was Draymond Green's Game 5 suspension. Also, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were combining for 82 points to force Game 6. Then, there's the heroics from the big three of James, Irving, and Kevin Love in the clutch moments of Game 7.

James' chasedown block on Andre Iguodala, Irving's 3-pointer over Stephen Curry to break the tie with under a minute left, and Love's stingy defense on Curry in the ensuing possession.

With that level of success already achieved and a chance to sustain it, there was no way the Cavs would willingly break up their star trio. However, they were forced to do that very thing a year later.

In the summer of 2017, Irving voiced his discontent with supposedly playing in James' shadow. He was ready to lead and be his own star and wanted to be traded to a team where he could do so. His request to be traded came in July, and a month later, he was gone.

The Cavs honored his request by trading him to a young, budding Boston Celtics squad with a high ceiling. In exchange, Cleveland received Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a 2018 first-rounder originally belonging to the Brooklyn Nets.

That trade request from Irving prematurely ended the most dominant era of Cavaliers basketball, yet. Since then, neither side has reached the same levels of success.

James eventually joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and since then, the Cavs have never returned to the NBA Finals.

Irving has moved around quite a bit since then. He had a stint with the Brooklyn Nets before joining the Dallas Mavericks.

He and Luka Doncic led the Mavs to the Finals in 2024, where Irving took on the Celtics stars he used to mentor. The Celtics were too much for the Mavs in that series, as they went on to win the series 4-1.

Since leaving the Cavs, that was Irving's only NBA Finals trip.