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Lakers' LeBron James Congratulates Former HS Coach on Duquesne's NCAA Tournament Bid


Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took some time to congratulate the Duquesne men's basketball team for earning a 57-51 victory over VCU to win the Atlantic 10 tournament on Sunday.

Although he skipped college to declare for the NBA draft back in 2003, James shares a special connection with Dukes head coach Keith Dambrot. Dambrot coached the four-time MVP during his teenage days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Duquesne associate head coach Dru Joyce III was also James' high school teammate.

Dambrot previously served as the head coach of Akron, leading the program to a record of 305-139 before he joined the Dukes ahead of the 2017-18 season. After bouncing back from a rough 6-24 record in 2022, Duquesne has surpassed 20 wins in each of the past two seasons.

James has given shoutouts to his former coach in the past, congratulating Dambrot when he reached 500 career wins in Feb. 2023.

"Coach D, my guy, oh my goodness," said James (h/t Adam Bittner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). "Five hundred? Five hundred wins is ridiculous. Man oh man. Never cease to amaze me. I want to congratulate you on an incredible feat and many more wins coming in the near future. Enjoy this moment, you deserve it, love you, and you're the best."

Now, the Dukes will be headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977.

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