Larry Bird Had No Interest in Signing LeBron James’ Ex-Teammates, Reveals Jeff Teague: “They’re All Really Sad”

One of the reasons LeBron James decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers was that they had shifted towards building the roster around Luka Doncic.

After all, he is the franchise cornerstone, and being nearly 15 years younger, it made no sense to continue prioritizing a superstar who was about to retire.

With the Slovenian at the helm of things, it would be easier for the Lakers to build a team that can exploit his prowess on the ball and as their primary scorer.

At the same time, it also means that some formal players could leave because they prefer to play alongside the King. A veteran had already warned that, with the four-time champion walking out the door, some players could follow.

Marcus Smart departed for the Houston Rockets, and Rui Hachimura is also unlikely to return. Players who have thrived alongside James have, in the past, received some heady contracts, especially Tristan Thompson, who went on to play for many years for the Cavaliers.

We was chilling, and he was talking about how good LeBron was… ‘I will never pay anybody who played with LeBron. I would never pick them up on my team.’ I was like, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because he make them all look good. They’re all really sad.’

Jeff Teague recalled his conversation with Larry Bird on Club 520 Podcast

This means that the legend knew that those who played alongside LeBron James were benefiting from his incredible awareness and talent to dissect their opponents.

Jeff Teague says Larry Bird had one rule when building a team…

NEVER sign players that played with LeBron. 😭

Bird: "I will never pay anybody that played with LeBron. I would never pick them up on my team."

Teague: "I said, 'Why?'"

"He said, 'Because he make them all look… pic.twitter.com/9OxCz5y72u

— Tsoj (@TsojBall) July 5, 2026

Those very players have said in the past that the father of three did help them elevate their game. But maybe Larry Bird knew it before they even said it.

LeBron James wanted to hand over Cavs to Kyrie Irving

Among the several teammates LeBron James has had, Kyrie Irving remains an enigma. The guard was on the upward trajectory and could have become the superstar to eventually take the reins from the forward. But that was before he was traded.

Bron was going to give the keys to Kyrie. He was never going to gatekeep and hold it.

Tristan Thompson revealed on Club Shay Shay

The center revealed that James was anyway going to leave the Cavaliers within a finite number of years. His goal was eventually handed over to Irving before leaving.

LeBron Planned to Give Kyrie the Keys in Cleveland Like Luka in Los Angeles

“@KingJames was going to give the keys to Kyrie. He was never going to gatekeep and hold it.” – @TThompson pic.twitter.com/pmpSpoKAwe

— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) July 5, 2026

But the Cavaliers’ front office did not help in convincing the star point guard to stay. That is what led to the eventual trade to the Boston Celtics.

Thompson believes that had there been enough conversations with Irving, James and the front office, things could have been different.

The Akro native was destined to leave for Los Angeles because he wanted to expand his businesses. Therefore, it could have been all for Irving. Instead, the trade to the Celtics eventually gave LeBron James the idea that he, too, needs to leave.

Tristan Thompson believes LeBron James is not done

After this discussion about Kyrie Irving, Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe asked Tristan Thompson how long he felt LeBron James could continue playing.

He’s still playing at a high level… I think for Bron, as long as he feels like he can dominate a game, he’ll keep playing.

Tristan Thompson said

The 35-year-old pointed out that this past season was further proof that the four-time league MVP can still perform at the highest level. On top of that, he is as fit as he possibly can be.

Until and unless either of those situations changes, Thompson does not believe that his former Cavaliers teammate will hang up his sneakers.

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