After the Lakers' win vs. the Grizzlies on Wednesday, LeBron James delivered a touching message to his friend and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who recently suffered a mild stroke.
After a thrilling win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, during which LeBron James became the league's oldest player to record three straight triple doubles, it would be understandable if James's mind was laser-focused on the next task at hand, defending the club's 2023 NBA Cup title. The Lakers begin NBA Cup play on Friday with a group-play game vs. the San Antonio Spurs.
But for a moment during his postgame presser, James's mind was elsewhere. The Lakers star was thinking of his friend and Spurs coachJames told reporters that he hasn't begun thinking about the Lakers' matchup with the Spurs, as his concern has been with Popovich, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. When asked about the Lakers’ NBA Cup group play starting against San Antonio on Friday, LeBron James says he hasn’t considered the competition yet, rather keeping his thoughts with his “dear friend Coach Pop”"To be honest, I haven't even thought about it yet," James said. "Look forward to the matchup going into Friday obviously. It's always difficult to win a game in San Antonio.
"I'll be thinking heavily about him as I travel there tomorrow, the game on Friday and wishing him the best of health. Hopefully, I see him soon. It doesn't even have to be on the sidelines."on Nov. 2 at Frost Bank Center, the team's home arena. He is expected to make a full recovery, but there is currently no timetable for his return to coaching.
Over the course of his 29 seasons coaching the Spurs, Popovich and James have went toe-to-toe three times in the NBA Finals. But the two have also developed a friendship, respect and admiration for one another outside of the competitive lines.Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage.
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