LeBron James was rated as one of the most prominent athletes during his high school days. After gaining media attention in his freshman season, however, James recalled how his high school coach, Keith Dambrot, made sure to set the tone for the sophomore season by giving him a reality check. James recalled the story on the “Mind The Game” podcast and said:
“Coach D, he was out of his mind. He was a lunatic. He just finally retired from coaching last year at Duquesne. Finally retired. But my freshman year, I made All-County, All-City, All-State, and we didn’t lose a game in my freshman year. We won a state championship. I was the state championship MVP for the tournament.”
“So I come in, first practice my sophomore year, I’m kind of feeling myself a little bit. We won it all. I’m getting a little praise, whatever. First day of practice my sophomore year, he kicked me out of practice. Just to put the market.”
James remembered how Dambrot approached the topic of his rise in popularity as well. “Best sophomore in the country, my a**,” recalled the Lakers forward. “Get the f**k out of here.’ And he kicked me out of practice.”
James addressed that he was frustrated with his coach’s behavior, particularly uncertain of why he was being singled out in this manner. But then he added, “But he set the tone for that season. It’s like, I’m not even going to allow you to even think about getting overly confident or having a big head coming in here. Because this s**t is not about you. It’s about what we are trying to build.”
Coach Dambrot gave @KingJames the perfect reality check.
Catch up on Luka part 2: https://t.co/iWNRmWraDf pic.twitter.com/L56zSa07LA
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) June 9, 2025
The Lakers forward understood that the intention of coach Dambrot was to prevent hubris from getting in the way of success, and he even attested to using what he learned from his coach to this day.
James was immensely successful in his high school career. Having set the foundations for his brand of basketball with the St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish in Akron, Ohio.
Over his four years in high school, James led the Fighting Irish to three state championships and one national championship. The story of this team was detailed in the documentary, “More Than A Game”, as well as Peacock’s “Shooting Stars”.
As one of the most successful high school athletes, James paved the way for himself to become one of the most highly touted draft prospects of all time. After eventually being selected as the first-overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he went on to carve out one of the most impressive careers in NBA history.
On the verge of entering Year 23, the Los Angeles Lakers forward is likely to be heading into his last season. With this in mind, the Purple and Gold will also look to surround him and his running mate, Luka Doncic, with the necessary pieces to secure another championship.
