Duquesne University’s basketball team, the Duquesne Dukes, which plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference, recently received an unbelievable surprise from a legendary NBA superstar.
LeBron James, the record 20-time NBA All-Star, surprised the Dukes with an amazing gesture that left the young men of the college team filled with awe.
Duquesne Dukes receive King James favor
King James, the highest points scorer in NBA history, surprised the NCAA team during their team meeting and gifted some special sneakers to the players. The Dukes players unboxed pairs of the 4-time NBA Champion’s signature shoes in a white and light blue colorway.
There is a special connection between The Dukes and King James, as the Atlantic 10 Conference team is coached by Keith Dambrot, who also coached LeBron during his time at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School for two years.
James congratulated the Duquesne Dukes and Coach Dambrot on social media after they won the Atlantic 10 Championship last Sunday by beating the VCU Rams 57-51. Dambrot announced on Monday that he will retire from coaching after the tournament.
Duquesne basketball beat BYU Cougars in NCAA first round
The Duquesne Dukes beat the BYU Cougars 71-67 on Thursday in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. This was the first NCAA tourney victory for the Dukes since 1969.
After the game, Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot said, “I think the little scuffle at the beginning of the second half kind of showed everything about what we are about.”
“We are going to compete at a very high level in a very clean way, but we are going to compete and make people earn every inch of the court,” Dambrot added.
Dambrot also said that he spent the week training the Dukes to stop Cougars’ slips and back cuts and his hard work finally paid off as that was exactly how the Dukes snatched the game away from BYU Cougars.
It is wholesome to see the biggest star in the world of basketball support a small college team, which will only result in boosting the confidence of the young superstars. Who knows, if one of them goes on to break LeBron’s record in the coming years. After all, every NBA legend was once a college rookie.
For now, the 11th-seeded Dukes still have work to do in the NCAA tournament as they will face the third-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday.
Do you think the Dukes will cause another upset on Sunday? Feel free to let us know in the comment section below!
