After a fourth-quarter come-from-behind win Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers will be tasked with defending their 2023 NBA Cup championship on Friday. The 7-4 Lakers will travel to San Antonio where they will tip off their group play against the 6-6 Spurs.
However, Lakers star forward LeBron James has his mind focused on other news pertaining to San Antonio.
When asked about Friday’s matchup, James laid his concern heavily on the health of “dear friend”, Gregg Popovich.
“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about it yet,” LeBron James said. “For me personally, there’s much bigger news out in San Antonio right now, and that’s my dear friend Coach Pop. 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. Hopefully, I just see him soon. That’s most important for me.”
On Nov. 2, Povovich suffered a mild stroke at the club’s home arena, Frost Bank Center. The Spurs’ 75-year-old head coach is expected to make a full recovery but has no timeline for his eventual return to the sidelines.
This also wasn’t the first time James publicly spoke out about personal news relating to Popovich. In 2018, James shared his condolences to Popovich and his family after hearing the news about his late wife, Erin.
LeBron James and Popovich have a rich history and have been living legends for over two decades in the NBA. The two have gone head-to-head in the NBA Finals three times and have faced off 43 times over their careers.
Though LeBron has a three-game edge over Popovich, the five-time championship head coach holds the upper hand in their finals matchups.
Despite being ultimate competitors within the lines, both have grown a friendship outside of basketball and have the utmost respect for each other.