LeBron James famously skipped college basketball, going directly from high school to the NBA in 2003.
But although the NBA’s all-time leading scorer doesn’t have a collegiate alma mater, he boasts a strong connection to this year’s NCAA tournament.
Indeed, Atlantic 10 tournament champion Duquesne is coached by Keith Dambrot, who happened to coach James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. One of Dambrot’s assistant coaches is Dru Joyce III, who was a high school teammate of James’s.
The Lakers star made sure to salute Dambrot, Joyce and the Dukes program on social media Sunday afternoon shortly after the school clinched its first trip to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament since 1977.
YESSIRRR!! Punch that ????️ to the Big Dance @DuqMBB!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Love you Coach Dambrot & @CoachDruJoyce ????????????????????????????
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 17, 2024
Duquesne (24–11) earned its NCAA tournament berth by beating VCU (22–13) in the A-10 tournament championship, 57–51, despite a premature confetti celebration at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Duquesne also happens to be the first Division I program to offer a scholarship to James’s younger son, Bryce.
Dambrot is 115–96 in seven seasons at Duquesne. He previously was head coach at Akron from 2004-05 through 2016-17.
