NCAA – For 15 days, LeBron James has been passionate about the course of the Duquesne Dukes, a small university which had not reached March Madness for 47 years!
Those who follow LeBron James on social networks, and more particularly on X (formerly Twitter), have undoubtedly noticed that the Lakers star is passionate about Duquesne, a small university in Pittsburgh. Qualified for March Madness for the first time since 1977, the Dukes punched their ticket after winning the Atlantic-10 conference tournament, and LeBron James continues to congratulate and encourage them.
And it worked since Duquesne created a surprise in the first round by dominating Brigham Young. It was their first NCAA tournament victory in 55 years! This evening, the Dukes will once again be underdogs against Illinois, seeded number 3 in the Eastern part of the table.
At the roots of the LeBron phenomenon
But why does LeBron James support this university so much? The reason can be found on the sidelines since we meet Keith Dambrot and Dru Joyce III there. The first is the former coach of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and he had two in LeBron James under his command, before joining the University of Akron. The second is better known to the general public, and he is a very close friend and former teammate of the “King”.
“It shows how much he cares about us.”responded Keith Dambrot. “When a superstar like him calls you after a match, that means something, right? » And LeBron James didn’t just call his former coach since the Los ANgeles Times reports that he sent a copy of his latest model of shoes to each of the players on the squad! The proof in the video below.
“I’m just grateful to have such a relationship with him,” recognized by Keith Dambrot “It’s complicated to say something like that, but it says a lot: he’s a better human being than a basketball player. He does a lot for our community.”
A coach fired for racism
If Keith Dambrot appreciates this support, it is because the latter was involved in a scandal during his second season at Central Michigan. During a speech to his group in 1993, he used the word “nig**r”. In his defense, he explained that he had used it after asking permission from his players, and that it was a joke. An argument that didn’t hold up, and he was fired immediately.
After a long journey through the desert, he decided to start from scratch by taking care of the youngest in Akron, and that’s where he crossed paths with LeBron James when the latter was only 13 years old…
It was with full knowledge of the facts, and after discussing with Keith Dambrot, that LeBron James and his friends decided to join him at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Since then, Keith Dambrot has come back on track, and he coached Akron University for 13 years, with three March Madness qualifications. Then in 2017, departure for Duquesne, where his father had played in the 50s. This qualification will also be his last feat of arms since at 65 years old, he announced at the start of the week that he would leave his position at the end of the season to stay with his wife, who is suffering from cancer.
2024-03-23 17:14:03
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