TMZ reports Kyrie Irving’s trade demand was influenced by Justin Bieber’s pastor
Kyrie Irving’s trade demand from the Cleveland Cavaliers may have been influenced by more than just basketball.
TMZ released a story on Wednesday offering insight into the reasons behind Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving‘s trade request. According to the outlet, Irving has the same pastor as Justin Bieber, and he could have had something to do with Irving’s request.
Carl Lentz is a pastor of Hillsong Church, a popular congregation among celebrities and athletes including Kevin Durant, and had long chats with Bieber about the singer’s concerns with the Purpose Tour before it was cancelled. According to TMZ, Lentz also had long chats with Irving about his situation in Cleveland.
TMZ reports:
"Irving met with Lentz earlier this month about his desires to step out of LeBron James’ shadow… Lentz didn’t tell Kyrie to “leave Cleveland” — instead he listened to Kyrie’s concerns, and encouraged him to make the decision he felt was best."
Less than a week ago, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst broke the news that Irving had asked the Cavs to trade him. Even though Cleveland has made it to the NBA Finals for three consecutive seasons, Irving seems to want to be the primary star on his team. The four-time All-Star gave the Cavs a list of teams that he wanted to be traded to including the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Irving is still under contract for at least two more seasons, so the list he requested is unlikely to be a factor in trade negotiations.
Irving has known Lentz for years, and can be found playing pop-a-shot in a video attached to the article on TMZ with the pastor and Bieber.
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For a trade request that came out of nowhere to some, this story provides a non-basketball angle to understanding Irving’s thought process here. In the NBA, there isn’t much bigger than LeBron James. Maybe for Irving, there’s a higher power that’s impacting his decisions more than “The Chosen One.”