SUMMARY
- LeBron James played under former Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot while he was in high school.
- Dambrot thought the 4x NBA Champion how to work relentlessly.
LeBron James is a figure that stands as an example to several athletes across the world. For two decades, the 39-year-old has been consistently dominating the floor in various aspects. Every year, James tries to improve various parts of his game to complement his legacy and help his team win. Today, his three-point shot is something that took the world by surprise and James believes he only wants to improve every day.
LEBRON JAMES TONIGHT
👑 29 minutes
👑 23 points
👑 9 assists
👑 10/12 FG
👑 +13 +/-THE RAPTORS CAN’T ESCAPE LEBRONTO pic.twitter.com/q1tChmVsKT
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) April 3, 2024
In high school, the 4x NBA Champion was the No.1 ranked athlete in the State of Ohio. His high school, the Fab Five won state championships and received a lot of media recognition. Their coach, Keith Dambrot had a lot of impact on the mindset James continues to carry even today, 20 years after graduating high school. LeBron revealed one of the biggest lessons he learned from Dambrot during the most recent episode of Mind the Game.
LeBron James initially didn’t understand Keith Dambrot’s coaching ways
During the podcast, the Los Angeles Lakers leader fondly recalled transitioning from middle to high school. He claimed that he didn’t under certain mannerisms of Coach Dambrot when he first became a senior. He said, “I think the number one thing that I’ve learned from him right away is how to not only approach the game but also how to think the game. And also play at a level that was a lot harder and determined than the AAU tournaments I was playing in beforehand.”
LeBron was in ninth grade when he first started playing under Dambrot. By then, Keith was already a well-established college coach who worked at Central Michigan between 1991 and 1993. He added, “The one thing that I learned from Coach D is that, ‘We are going to practice perfection every single day. Every single day.’ He always used to tell us, ‘The practices are going to be way freaking harder than the games.’”
James also revealed he was warned about coaches putting athletes to the ultimate test and pushing them past the limits. The Lakers player stated that Dambrot never spared athletes or even their parents from shelling. Dambrot once kicked James out of practice after he had returned from playing football.
James claimed that he was kicked out without even doing anything wrong. He said, “I think he was just setting the tone for the season… He kicked me out of practice and the last thing he said was, ‘Best sophomore in the country, my ass.’” This was a turning point in James’ career and shaped him to work relentlessly towards his goals.
Where is Keith Dambrot now?
After coaching St. Vincent—St. Mary between 1998 and 2001, Keith Dambrot left to assume the assistant coach’s role at the University of Akron. Dambrot coached his alma mater for 13 seasons during which he achieved five straight MAC Finals appearances. He is considered the most successful coach in Akron’s history gaining a record of 305-139 between 2001 and 2017.
In 2017, Dambrot became the head coach of Duquesne University. He signed a seven-year $7 million contract. Unfortunately, after having one of their best runs during the 2023-24 season, Dambrot announced that he was retiring to take care of his wife, Robby as she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
Dru Joyce III, who spent two years working under Dambrot was promoted to the latter’s position. Joyce formerly with LeBron James in high school. It seems like Dambrot continues to support his St. Vincent—St. Mary athletes. Even during the 2020-21 season when James had an accident on the floor, Dambrot’s only words were that he would return even stronger after the injury.