It took nearly 30 minutes during his introductory news conference with Gordon Hayward in Boston Friday before Kyrie Irving was asked about his relationship with Cavaliers' star LeBron James.
Four-time All-Star Irving voiced his gratitude for what he learned playing with the four-time league MVP, although he implied that there were rocky times during their three seasons together even as they reached three consecutive NBA Finals and won one title.
"I've had the unique opportunity to play with one of the greats and it was awesome," Irving said. "At times it was all over, just like it is in any other team.
"When you look back and you're eternally grateful for the moments that you've had and you've shared, you're able to put peace with that journey and start anew. This was a very, very challenging decision at first, but after a while you have that confidence in yourself to understand the magnitude of what you can actually accomplish and potentially can do with other great people. Now that I'm sitting here, it just echoes in terms of me being very appreciative, of not only the Cleveland fans, all of Ohio, as well as 'Bron incorporating me into that special team we had in Cleveland."
Irving was traded to the Celtics on Aug. 22 for two-time All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, small forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 unprotected first-round pick, but terms of the deal weren't finalized until Wednesday night, when the Celtics threw in the Miami Heat's second-round choice in 2020.
On July 7, Irving went to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and asked to be dealt so he could escape James' shadow and be the centerpiece elsewhere. Irving made those intentions clear during the press conference at TD Garden televised by NBA TV.
Irving, who made the game-winning shot to give the Cavs the 2016 NBA championship, said he has not spoken to James since the blockbuster deal.
"To look back at the amount of ground we covered in the last three-year span, or even before that because we had a prior relationship, to really realize how special that was and how much growth happened in that amount of time, I'd be sitting up here telling you guys a lie if I didn't tell you I learned so much from that guy," Irving said of James. "The perfection of the craft comes in a variety of forms. You watch and you watch and you ask a lot of the great players, 'What does it take to be great?'"
Irving, 25, wouldn't get into the issues that prompted his departure.
"I wouldn't call them issues," he said. "It was an unbelievable journey, an unbelievable ride. It will be an unbelievable experience for something new and to be in a place like this where everyone will gravitate, not only to us as individuals, but as a collective group, a team."
That was just one example of Irving's veiled references to the influence James holds in the Cavs organization and how he is viewed.
When asked about the burden of taking the Celtics on his shoulders, Irving said, "is there ever such a thing as one person carrying a whole team? I don't think so. When you have a collection of individuals that all have one mission and one goal and collectively getting better every single day, there are a lot moving parts and you have to depend on those moving parts to do your job.
"There is no one player, there are some very, very special talents. But I think the teams get remembered more than the players sometimes ... although there are a few (Celtics) numbers retired in those rafters. The appreciation goes a lot deeper because of that team atmosphere. There is no such thing as putting the team on your shoulders. You'll see some unbelievable things from probably 1 through 15 and we'll be just as elated if it's the first guy, second guy, third guy."
The first to bring up James' name was Hayward, who said he was recruited by Irving when he was a restricted free agent in 2013.
"Then LeBron came and that kinda squashed that whole thing," said Hayward, who left the Utah Jazz to sign with the Celtics as a free agent.
The first overall pick in 2011 after playing 11 games at Duke, Irving said he looks at the Celtics as the next step in his evolution as a man and as a player.
"When you get drafted into this great league ... as a 19-year-old kid I'm finishing my first year of college and life hits," Irving said. "You're in different hotels, different cities, different places and you have to adjust to what's going on. It took me a little while to do that. On the court was incredible, but then you start figuring out what is important to you off the floor and how it's conducive for your development on the floor, then ... it all starts making sense. It took a few things for me to go through in Cleveland for me to understand that, learning the hard way.
"My intent is to be happy and be with a group of individuals that I can grow with. ... Me leaving there wasn't about basketball, it was about me creating that foundation of me in Cleveland and now taking this next step as a 25-year-old evolving man and being the best basketball player I can be."
Irving echoed the words of Griffin in calling his decision to leave Cleveland "courageous."
"Coming off the Finals loss and kind of not wallowing in my sorrows, but trying to figure out the next step in order to achieve that goal made it a very courageous decision to ... want to be a part of something bigger than myself," Irving said. "When Boston came a-knocking, I was answering."
Irving began his remarks by addressing the recent passing of Crowder's mother, Thomas' sister and those affected in Houston by Hurricane Harvey and those in Charlottesville, Va., dealing with the aftermath of a protest that turned violent.
The Celtics acknowledged the presence of Irving's father Drederick, who played at Boston University and whose No. 11 was retired by the school in 1988. That's the number Irving will now wear.
Irving said he appreciated the opportunity to join such a storied franchise and said he asked Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge at dinner for VHS tapes of the team's past championships.
"I can't wait to get on the floor and maximize my potential," Irving said. "I want to be around those incredible coaches and those incredible minds and incredible individuals and I felt like in doing that, Boston came right at the exact time and it was meant to be that way."
