When Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in July 2017, it sent shockwaves around the NBA. It came just a year after the Cavaliers pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, climbing back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to capture the franchise's first championship.

Kyrie Irving looks back at his time playing with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers and provides insight on what led to him leaving.

Many marked Kyrie Irving's departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 as a result of wanting the spotlight all for himself rather than playing in LeBron James' shadows. The duo delivered an NBA championship in 2016 and ran it back in 2017, but lost to the Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors, 4-1.