Did Kyrie Irving Take A Subtle Jab At LeBron James? Now Deleted Post Revealed Mavericks Star’s Disagreement With Former Cavaliers Teammate

Kyrie Irving stirred fresh chatter about his bond with LeBron James on September 16, when the Dallas Mavericks guard reposted two social media messages that read like quiet digs at his old Cleveland teammate. Both vanished within minutes, but screenshots spread fast enough that fans started drawing conclusions Irving never confirmed. James is currently under fire for a new deal with the prediction market platform Polymarket, and the timing of Irving's brief nod to the criticism sparks conversation.

Kyrie Irving Seemingly Takes Shot At LeBron James After Controversial Decision

The first repost landed while backlash over James' Polymarket tie-up was still building. James had announced the partnership earlier in September, and according to BasketballNews, the four-time champion signed a two-year deal reportedly worth $8 million to deliver weekly NFL predictions for the platform. Fans didn't take kindly to it, given his past stance on sports betting.

Irving reposted a message from a user named Nick, quoting an Eli Manning ad for Polymarket: "I miss when there was a stigma to selling out." No caption, no tag, just the repost, and then it disappeared.

Back in 2023, James said betting had "taken some of the integrity out of the game," criticizing fans who cared more about parlays than basketball. He signed on as a DraftKings ambassador the following year before that deal expired and Polymarket stepped in.

Old Wounds From Cleveland Add Context To The Jab

None of this happens in a vacuum. James and Irving spent three seasons together in Cleveland, reached three straight NBA Finals, and won the franchise's only championship in 2016. Irving requested a trade the next year, and the two spent years being cordial in public while insiders kept speculating about what really went down between them.

That speculation resurfaced just weeks earlier, when James organized a European trip marking the 2016 title's ten-year anniversary. J.R. Smith, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson all showed up. Irving didn't. Smith later said the group tried reaching him and that Irving had effectively "ghosted" the group chat.

Irving later explained the situation during a livestream, stating that he had prior commitments at the NBPA Top 100 Camp and calling the coverage of his absence "psychotic." Nothing about that exchange proves bad blood, but it left the door open for exactly this kind of moment. A quiet repost about selling out doesn't need a caption when the backstory writes it for you.