When you think of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, you think of the championship they won and the trade request that tore it all apart.
You might also remember the viral moment when a reporter asked Kyrie what kind of “parental role” LeBron played in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room.
LeBron was seven years older, and with Tristan Thompson having called him a “great father,” it was only a matter of time before someone took that way too literally.
“[Tristan] called him a great father, so what type of parental role has he played for you and your teammates?”
pic.twitter.com/rUbfMBUkt2
— ESSENTIAL (@essentialceo) July 12, 2025
Irving was clearly caught off guard by the question. He laughed awkwardly, admitted he had no clue how to respond, and did his best to pivot. He praised LeBron as a great leader for the Cavaliers, someone who had taught him plenty about winning and how to carry himself as a professional. But he drew a hard line: “I only have one father.”
And while LeBron might have been an on-court influence, Kyrie wasn’t looking to him for life lessons.
Nearly a decade later, with Kyrie fully embracing his content creator role — even calling out Stephen A. Smith’s $100 million ESPN contract — the Duke product recreated the viral meme alongside his actual father, Drederick Irving.
“I only have one father, Drederick Irving. I only have one father,” Kyrie announced. “I have one father, Drederick Irving. This is my father.”
“And I’m glad we got to recreate that meme, bro,” the Dallas Mavericks guard later added, “because that question was crazy. When somebody asked if LeBron was like a father figure to me, that sh*t was crazy, bro. No kizzy. That was a crazy ass question. He’s like a few years older than me, and you’re asking if he was my father figure. I’ve got a father right there, Drederick Irving. No disrespect, bro.”
“That was a crazy ass question.”
Kyrie on reporter that asked if LeBron was a ‘father figure’ to him 😭💀
(Via kyrieirving/twitch) pic.twitter.com/zHsLo4S9T2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 12, 2025
No one’s ever been able to pinpoint exactly who asked that awkward question, but the moment has only gotten more infamous over time.
Kyrie’s 2017 trade request showed he wasn’t about to live in LeBron’s shadow forever. And while it didn’t ignite a full-blown public feud, it definitely cracked the facade of their partnership. Up until then, LeBron was the undisputed leader and face of the Cavs, and Kyrie was fine riding shotgun until he wasn’t.
Kyrie respected LeBron’s leadership, sure, but he never wanted to be seen as someone who needed babysitting. He was determined to write his own script. Since then, he’s done everything on his own terms and made it clear, for better or worse, he answers to no one but himself.