Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving believes his former Cleveland Cavaliers teams would have won more NBA titles if he showcased more maturity during his tenure.
"If I was in the same maturity line now and understanding of who I am ... we definitely, definitely would've won more championships," Irving told the "I am Athlete" podcast on Monday.
Irving spent six seasons in Cleveland, three of them as part of a consistent championship contender following LeBron James' return to his hometown team. James and Irving led the Cavs to a championship in 2016 after coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors.
Irving said he didn't know how to express his feelings to James, which was the key reason the point guard requested a trade from the Cavaliers.
"I didn't know how to share my emotions," he said. "I didn't know how to do that. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself."
Irving was shipped to the Boston Celtics before the 2017 season. He spent two tumultuous campaigns there before signing with the Nets.
The 30-year-old guard admitted he regrets not having heart-to-heart conversations with James about his feelings.
"It would've been a good understanding of what the future will hold for both of us and we know how much power we both had together," said Irving. "Me and him in the league together running Cleveland, and then being able to put a better team together every single year would've definitely been worth it."
