LeBron James is keeping himself busy these days. Of course, he’s doing everything he can to help the Los Angeles Lakers avoid the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference (they’re currently the 9-seed), and off the court, he’s mixing being a basketball dad with his new media venture, as he co-hosts the podcast Mind the Game alongside J.J. Redick.
Now, LeBron is adding a new club to his bag: college basketball newsbreaker. James tweeted that he received word from “an unquestioned source” that the Duquesne Dukes, which won the Atlantic 10 Tournament this season and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, will promote associate head coach Dru Joyce III to take over for the recently retired Keith Dambrot.
I’m proud to announce! As the unquestioned source I am confirming that Dru Joyce is the new HC at Duquesne University and is meeting with the team right now! So damn happy and proud of you my brother!!! @DruOnDemand @DuqMBB
#GoDukes
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 28, 2024
Not long after, the program announced that Joyce will become its next head coach.
The torch has been passed.
Our head coach will be Dru Joyce III. pic.twitter.com/CfYbmC2BrB
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) March 28, 2024
As for why LeBron James is so plugged into the goings on of Duquesne basketball, Dambrot was his coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s for the start of his high school career, while Joyce was one of his teammates and remains a close friend. Joyce always made sense as Dambrot’s replacement for a ton of reasons — he had a lengthy pro career abroad, has been around the program in an important role for the last few years, and is a respected basketball mind. And as an added bonus, LeBron will continue to follow Dukes basketball closely, which is nice.