Kyrie Irving is certainly one of the most skilled players in NBA history. His handle and ability to finish at the rim despite being a 6-foot-2-inch point guard is remarkable. But after LeBron James, Irving's former teammate, anointed Irving as “the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen,” former NBA player Paul Pierce said that simply cannot be true.
On FS1's ‘Undisputed' program, Pierce, Skip Bayless, and Keyshawn Johnson discussed James' comments, with Pierce especially taking exception.
“Gifted? I'm not so sure about ‘gifted,' Skip,” Pierce said. “Skilled? Maybe. But when I think about gifted, the first player that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. Because you talk about the physical attributes to go along with the skill. And that's what I look at when you say ‘gifted.' The height, the speed, the hands, the arms — all of those physical attributes play a part in [being] gifted. Kyrie, he's a shorter player with a good ballhandle, and yeah, of course we know about his skills. So I'll say skilled.”
Pierce did not stop there, though, and went on to name who he believes is the most ‘gifted' player in the NBA.
“But if we want to really know who is the most gifted player — the most gifted today is Victor Wembanyama. We've never seen anything like that,” Pierce said before explaining Wembanyama's height and length, along with his skill, is unprecedented.
While the semantics are always tough to argue, it would be very difficult to disagree with the idea that Wembanyama, at 7 feet, 4 inches tall, and with an 8-foot wingspan, is one of, if not the most ‘gifted' players of all time. While there have been a few players in NBA history to have the size and length of Wembanyama, none have retained the agility and athleticism that Wembanyama has.
Kyrie Irving: Most skilled player ever?
It is not an unpopular opinion among NBA players to say that Kyrie Irving is one of the most skilled players in NBA history. Former teammates and opponents alike have praised the notoriously crafty Irving for his ballhandling, shotmaking, and finishing abilities, with some saying he is a ‘genius' and a ‘wizard.'
So it did not come as too much of a surprise when LeBron James, who won the 2016 NBA Championship alongside Irving when they were on the Cleveland Cavaliers, would think he's played with the “most gifted” player ever.
“There was nothing on the basketball floor that Kyrie couldn't do,” James said on the ‘Mind the Game' podcast with JJ Redick. “And sitting here watching it, I'm like, I'm playing like, so f—ing happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth and whatever the case may be, and at the same time, I am so f—ing mad at the same time that I am not his running mate anymore.
“I have so many words to praise Kyrie that I end up with absolutely none… He's the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen,” James said. “He has the best gifts I've ever seen of any NBA player.”
And it's not hard to wonder why James would be upset watching Irving. The pair only played together for three seasons before Irving requested and was granted a trade to the Boston Celtics in the 2017 offseason. Since then, James and Irving have seemed to rekindle their friendship after a period of iciness, and the duo reportedly flirted with the idea of reuniting last offseason before Irving re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
That move turned out to be one of the best in his career, as the Mavericks are now in the NBA Finals after overpowering the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Irving will officially make his Finals return after seven years tomorrow in Boston, his former home.
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