In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers proved they were the most dominant team in the league by winning three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-02. In 2001, they nearly ran the table by losing just one game to Allen Iverson and the 76ers in game 1 of the NBA Finals. Besides being the best team on the court, L.A. became the most talked about team off the floor as well.

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were the two superstars that led that Lakers team to those titles. At the time Kobe was like the little brother to Shaq being as though Shaq entered the league four years earlier than he did.

However despite the talent and experience, Shaq had to offer, Bryant's talent progressed at a much faster rate than many expected. After years of winning and playing basketball at the highest level, the popular duo had gotten fed up with trying to co-exist with one another and the franchise had to make a choice of who stayed.

In 2004, the team made the decision to trade O'Neal, who was still considered the "most dominant" player in the league. The move made it clear who the team wanted to build their franchise around for the future. Thirteen years later, superstars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James find themselves in a similar situation. However, this time around it's the younger star demanding a split as opposed to claiming his territory, but the feud has gained the same publicity as the Shaq and Kobe saga.

LeBron's history with Cleveland

Cleveland has never been a destination that NBA star players have been interested in landing. LeBron being a hometown kid made it easier for fans to finally gain a superstar, as the cards fell in place in 2003 by earning the No.

1 pick in the draft. The hometown kid just so happened to be the best prospect in the draft. He was easily projected by many to succeed the recently retired Michael Jordan as the best player to ever play the game.

In his first seven seasons with the team, LeBron took the Cavs to heights that had yet to see in their many years of existence.

In 2007, he led the team to their first ever finals appearance but ended up being swept by the Spurs. After the loss, the next few seasons the Cavs would win over 60 games two times but James was becoming frustrated with the franchise for not hiring the proper help he needed to actually win a championship.

In result, when the team was eliminated in the 2010 playoffs by the Boston Celtics, James would decide to leave home and join the Miami Heat.

Kyrie's arrival and the return of James

In 2011, the Cavs drafted Kyrie Irving with the No.

1 overall pick. Irving was considered the best prospect coming out of college, and the team was looking for their next star after the departure of LeBron left them with nothing. Irving quickly made his mark on the team by becoming the first Cavs player since James in 03' to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award. He did it by adding a team leading 18.5 ppg.

The next two seasons he would average more than 20 points a game but would fail to be a good enough star to lead the team to the playoffs. That would result in Cleveland being a continuous lottery team. In 2014 when they drafted Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 pick, it appeared the team had found a running mate for Irving. However, LeBron pulled off another shocking move by announcing his desire to return home.

Owner Dan Gilbert was not going to miss out on the opportunity to get the best player in the world back on his team.

Also, James had left and won 2 titles and had matured into the player he wanted to be during his first run in Cleveland. His decision forced Gilbert to change plans on the direction of the team and trade Wiggins for Kevin Love upon the request of "King James." Irving seemed to be excited with the idea of going from a loser to a winner when he spoke with the media regarding the matter.

Success together and Irving's reasons for demanding trade

Since 2014, Irving and James have led the Cavs to the finals in the last three seasons.

In all fairness, they've only been able to compete in two together as Irving's injury resulted in him being ruled out for the series after game 1 of the 2015 finals. In their following finals series against GS, both players would equally contribute to bringing the Cavs their first ever NBA title. In game 7, Kyrie nailed the game winning three to put the Cavs up for good and secure the gold.

Despite his efforts, King James would still receive the Finals MVP award. This past season when the Warriors picked up Kevin Durant via free agency, the move made it very difficult for Cleveland to repeat as champs. The Cavs were easily defeated in five games in the finals against GS and it did not take long after for Kyrie to demand a trade.

Last week, ESPN reported that Irving wanted to leave because of the likelihood of LeBron bolting again next season when his contract is up. He also apparently feels he is ready to lead his own team and is not interested in living in the shadow of James any longer. The trade request has been blown up since.

And just like Kobe felt about his relationship with Shaq, Kyrie is ready to move on and build his own legacy as the guy with the leading role.
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