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Tristan Thompson says Kyrie Irving would be the best player ever if he were 6'5"
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- Tristan Thompson says Kyrie Irving would be the best player ever if he were 6'5"
After missing the entire 2025-26 campaign due to a torn ACL that he suffered in March 2025, some may have forgotten how much of a generational talent Kyrie Irving is. Standing 6-foot-2, he is a basketball wizard whose résumé speaks for itself: nine All-Star appearances, three All-NBA selections and an NBA championship in 2016, forever immortalized by his iconic game-winning 3-pointer over Stephen Curry in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
It's totally understandable, though, that some people may have forgotten about Irving's basketball brilliance, especially since there are so many layers to the 34-year-old beyond the game. He's smart, well-spoken and very opinionated, which has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
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With Irving expected to return to action for the Dallas Mavericks this upcoming season, his former teammate, Tristan Thompson , reminded everyone what they have been missing.
Totally unstoppable
Branding a player with the "best" tag always raises a lot of eyebrows. However, Thompson never blinked when he made this bold claim about his former teammate.
"If Kyrie was two inches taller, he'd be the best player to ever touch a basketball on planet Earth," Thompson told NFL legend Shannon Sharpe on "Club Shay Shay."
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"Because think about it. First of all, have you ever seen Kyrie get a shot blocked? Never. And he's only, what, 6'2", 6'3"," the Canadian big man added. "So, imagine if he was 6'5", what he could do right now? No, it would be out of this world."
Thompson's statements carry a lot of weight. He has a unique perspective on Irving's greatness after playing six seasons with the shifty guard. In fact, he was there from the very start, as the two were selected three picks apart (Kyrie went first while Tristan went fourth) in the 2011 draft. Together, they went through the lows of rebuilding, the highs of teaming up with LeBron James and winning it all in 2016 and the heartbreak of losing in three NBA Finals.
"Even if you ask LeBron, Kyrie's probably the most talented. If you put Kyrie in a workout, he could do anything. He has no flaws in his game. Like, it's out of this world," Thompson said.
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A one-of-one talent
The NBA is home to many talented guards who dominate the game in every which way. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Luka Doncic , Cade Cunningham and the ageless Steph Curry, just to mention a few. However, nobody played with the combination of flair, fearlessness and effectiveness like Irving.
"I remember when we were playing against Roy Hibbert his rookie year, and this is Roy Hibbert… He laying it up on him like it's nothing. Roy Hibbert on the Indiana Pacers? Like nothing," Thompson remembered. "I'm like, 'This kid's special.'"
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"That high-release jumper. You can't block the shot. So, Kyrie is… he's out of this world," he continued. "He's one of one."
Irving has looked like he hasn't missed a beat in footage of his recent workouts and one-on-one games against high school standouts. However, the real test is when he finally returns to an NBA court to battle against the real deal.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
