In this interview segment of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green asks guest Tristan Thompson about the possibility of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving reuniting on the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson enthusiastically argues that the two players complement each other perfectly, describing their on‑court chemistry as a "match made in heaven" and likening their potential partnership to historic NBA duos. He believes the reunion is still possible and says he will continue to advocate for it on television. When asked why the previous LeBron‑Kyrie partnership fell apart, Thompson points to front‑office missteps, a rushed trade, and injury concerns—particularly the handling of Irving’s hip injury (referred to as “IT”). He also discusses Kyrie’s recent stint with the Brooklyn Nets, noting that despite frustrations, Irving performed at an MVP‑caliber level in the final 20 games, driven by his love of the game, desire for All‑Star recognition, and financial incentives tied to playing time. Thompson concludes that a LeBron‑Kyrie Lakers pairing would generate exciting matchups, especially against teams like Golden State, and ends the segment with Draymond’s usual channel promotion.
You were recently on ESPN and you spoke about LeBron and Kyrie getting back together. Do you see that happening? Do you think, like, do you think that there's a chance or not a chance? We know there's a chance, but do you think that happens, that they get back together?
Man, brother, I've been—
And on top of that, what do you think ultimately made it go south?
Yeah, brother, I've been pushing that reuniting, you know, coming together for so long. Because I saw the— with Kyrie and LeBron, it was almost like a match made in heaven. Like, they brought the best out of each other. It was like the things that Kyrie does great is different than what LeBron did great. Like, it was just such a beautiful— like, it was beautiful to watch the two-man game side pick and roll because they're so dynamic and great at so many different things. But together, it's like they're like— Yeah. —was almost unstoppable. Like, it was like an amazing 2-on-2, you know what I'm saying? So—
Absolutely.
I think in terms of, you know, could it happen? Yes. Will I continue pushing it when I'm on TV? Most definitely, because I think, you know, Kyrie brings the best out of LeBron, and LeBron does the same thing, brings the best out of Kyrie. And I feel like it's almost like a story that— it almost feels like it wasn't finished, you know? Like, it wasn't finished the way it was supposed to, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, a lot of duos have had that. Maybe, you know, Shaq and Penny or Kobe and Shaq. Like, you know, there's so many, like, stories that I just feel like it's not over yet. You know, like, there's still a couple more chapters between them two that they can make some magic happen. So, you know, I hope it can happen. To answer your second question, you know, what went south, I think, like in sports, you know, everyone goes through different things. And I think during that time and period, I think—
Mm-hmm.
You know, maybe something with the front office and Kyrie, maybe didn't see eye to eye. You know, maybe we could have did a better job of addressing whatever he may have wanted because at the end of the day, he deserves a right to have a say in the organization. Like, you know, like you, it's nothing wrong asking for something. You know, he earned the respect and the right and he put that banner up there. He can come into the office and ask for something. Whether it happens or not, that's to be determined. 'Cause I don't own the team. I don't make those calls. But I think we could have, as a franchise, might have figured out a way to make it work or dedicated more time to try to make it work. I feel like we might have rushed the trade a little bit, especially with the fact with IT. Listen, I love IT. He's a great human being. I love IT. That's my dog. You know, with him coming, going, being injured, I was, I was told that, you know, if a player's injured, you can kind of void the trade.
Yeah, you can.
Yeah. So, so for me it was more so of a sense where like, if he's technically not cleared or that hip is not all the way right, why are we in such a rush to make this trade? Because we still have Kyrie under contract and Kyrie loves the game of basketball. I mean, look at with the Nets. There was times where he probably hated being there, but he still went on the court and he proved himself. And to be honest, he probably has been, he's probably been frustrated with that Nets organization for the last 2 years. But guess what? Those last 20 games with Nets, he looked like an MVP caliber player. They were going, I think they were like 12 and 4 or something. And, and they had great road wins against top teams. Like, so one thing about Kyrie, he, he's a hooper. He's gonna buy in and play if he's happy or not. We don't know the answer, but he's a hooper. He's gonna go and play. And And with the business of basketball, if you're a signature line player, you get royalties. You're not gonna get the royalty check if you sit on the sideline. So he's gonna play. He wants to be an All-Star. Like, like I just felt like the franchise might have not handled it, maybe rushed it a little bit.
Yeah.
And we could have took a better time. But you know, that, that, that happens. You know, I, I hope, you know, I love Kyrie, I love LeBron. I would love to see them together in, in, in purple and gold. I'm sure you wouldn't mind seeing that. That would be some good TNT games, ESPN games you guys would have. Be some good ESPN games.
Absolutely.
Golden State versus LA. It'd be a good one.
No, I'm definitely not against that. We had, as you know, you being a part of it, we had some of the best battles in NBA history. Not just of our time. We had some of the best battles in NBA history. Obviously that Game 7 being probably one of the most classic games the NBA has ever seen. What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to The Volume. Draymond Green's YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward.
