College basketball legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, aka Coach K, sat down in a one-on-one interview with LeBron James that aired on TNT over All-Star Weekend. The two talked about their basketball experiences, family, life, and the growth of James in his career from high school to now. Of course, the two also discussed James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s all-time scoring record.
The Chosen 1
The one thing that stood out to NBA fans was that James discussed the inspiration behind the ‘Chosen1’ tattoo on his back.
“I got that after my rookie year in the NBA. … It was actual a local magazine during my sophomore year that used the ‘chosen one’ phrase after one of my games,” said James.
Whether you like him or not, he has lived up to those high expectations he set for himself in his second year in the NBA. James is a four-time league MVP, four-time Finals MVP, top five all time in assists, over 10,000 rebounds in his career, top 10 all time in steals, and now has the most points in NBA history.
Some of James‘ off the court achievements include: hsi endorsement deals, opened the I Promise school in Akron, invested in professional soccer and baseball clubs, opened Spring Hill media company, created opportunities for his best friends from high school, an activist for black social justice issues, a family man, and always invested in the youth.
More Than A Game
James also discussed the impact his mother and family has played in his career.
“She’s like my best friend [Gloria James]. Just knowing the sacrifices she has made. She did it all for me, everything for me. Now that I am older and have kids of my own, I realize how tough it was for her to be a teenage mother. It’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for her,” said James.
He and his mother has always been close. The camera constantly showed her in the crowd cheering and wearing his jerseys whenever his teams played on nationally televised games.
Then, the conversation shifted to another woman that has always been in his corner, Savannah James. The two have been together since high school and married since 2013. She has shared every special moment in his NBA career, including his most recent achievement.
Then, of course Krzyzewski asked him about his dream of sharing an NBA court with his son. They would be the first father-son tandem to play together in NBA history.
James kept it simple with his response, “I’ve done my job, now it’s on Bronny (laughing).”
GOAT Stamp
James mentioned that he still chasing greatness 20 years later.
“I’m still on a quest to be as great as I can be. I want to see how far the sky can go. If I’m in uniform and I am on the floor, I don’t want to be a liability,” said James.
He also discussed how he can still lead a team to a title. The Lakers are currently 13th in the Western Conference standings with a 27-32 record.
“I wanna win, I wanna win. I still have the ability to change a franchise,” stated James.
Krzyzewski wrapped up the interview by giving James his flowers.
“Lebron is the most complete player I’ve been around. He certainly has a right to the GOAT claim. Establishing this record is a separator. It shows not only what you’ve done, but you had to do it for a long period of time,” said Coach K. “He can play every position and guard every position.”
