LeBron James: Picking Kyrie Irving in NBA All-Star Draft Was 'Easy Choice'

LeBron James' decision to select Kyrie Irving was apparently not that difficult. The Cleveland Cavaliers forward called the move an "easy choice" on the TNT broadcast Thursday.

"I just tried to pick the best available players," James said. "And to be able to team up back with Kyrie is always special, along with Kevin Love. Just to have another weekend to bring back some of the memories that we had when we were all together. So Kyrie was available on the draft board. He's one of the best point guards that we have in our league. So it was an easy choice for me."

Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers last summer in part because he'd grown tired of playing with James. The pair had gone to three straight NBA Finals together, including a win in 2016.

Irving and James will be joined by Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins in the Team LeBron starting lineup. Stephen Curry is joined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden and Joel Embiid in his starting lineup.

James and Curry were named the two captains of the All-Star Game after receiving the most fan votes among players named starters.

Some speculated James would avoid picking Irving over animosity due to his exit from Cleveland. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported earlier Thursday that Irving threatened to have in-season surgery on his knee if the Cavs did not trade him.

James, meanwhile, pressured the team behind the scenes to not give into Irving's trade demands.

Suffice it to say their on-court dynamic will be fun to watch at the beginning of the game.