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Scottie Pippen supports Kyrie Irving’s trade request

LeBron James
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Pippen knows full well how it feels to play second fiddle to an all-time great basketball player. He earned six NBA titles while acting the part of Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

So when Pippen decides to talk up regarding the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving situation, it makes sense to listen. That’s exactly what the Hall of Famer did on Friday. And to say it was interesting would be a major understatement.

“I am a very strong supporter of what he’s (Irving) doing because I’ve watched what has happened to him in his career and how things went for him in Cleveland, and I think he’s at a superstar level now that he can control his own destiny,” Pippen told ESPN’s The Jump.

In case you have been hiding under a rock the past week, it was just last Friday that Irving’s request to be traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers was made public. Since then, indications have come out that the primary reason Irving wants to move on is the presence of James in Cleveland.

It takes a special star to do his thing while someone else on the team gains more attention. For the vast majority of his career, Pippen did just that. As it relates to Irving, he’s only had to deal with James for three seasons. That’s a bit different than the situation Pippen himself went through.

“I think it’s the perfect timing, Cleveland didn’t win a championship, they were right there, but there’s been a lot of things going on within that organization,” Pippen continued. “LeBron doesn’t give those guys the security that they need, that the superstar is gonna be there and he’s gonna support us and I see Kyrie looking at the opportunity to run before LeBron runs, because there’s a lot of chatter out there that LeBron’s coming to play with the Lakers.”

That’s an important point to make. James is entering the final year of his contract and has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s yet to commit to Cleveland over the long term. And he’s already left his hometown team to join another squad in the past.

Again, Pippen can speak from experience here. He played with a star in Jordan who signed multiple one-year contracts with the Bulls to close out his career. It’s also by now well known that Jordan himself walked away from the game in the prime of his career — ultimately leaving Pippen and the rest of his teammates to fend for themselves. It’s likely Irving doesn’t want to be put in that situation with the Cavaliers.

As it relates to a specific Irving trade, six teams have reportedly already made offers to the Cavaliers. It surely looks like the team will move him here soon. If so, Irving will have his chance to be Batman once again.

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