TEAM USA basketball coaches and players are realizing LeBron James’ greatness during his training camp.
Team USA coach Steve Kerr has coached and played alongside some of the greatest players in NBA history.
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Kerr coached Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to four championships.
He also played alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippin, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan, winning five championships as a player.
However, Kerr has never shared the same team as LeBron James, until now.
As coach of Team USA, Kerr is watching James prepare for the Olympics and is amazed.
It’s not LeBron’s talent that impresses Kerr, anyone can see that from watching him play, but it’s his work ethic.
“I was impressed with how hard he practices,” Kerr said after the first practice.
“And I went to Ty and Spo and said, ‘Is this normal?’
“They said, ‘Every day, every day.’ To Spo I said, ‘And when did you catch him?’
“Spo said, ‘Every day. Every exercise, every step by step.'”
James is entering his age-40 season, but he hasn’t slowed down yet and isn’t showing his age in camp.
“I feel incredibly honored to coach LeBron, and it’s definitely a lot better coaching him than coaching against him,” Kerr said.
“I can tell you that.”
LeBron also expressed some excitement about playing on the same team as Kerr and Curry for the first time in his career.
“There was always mutual respect, obviously,” James said.
“We are both competitors. He’s a competitor as a coach and a competitor as a player…
“But it’s mostly mutual respect and admiration. I’m happy to be on the same side as him now, and I’m also happy to be on the same side as his point guard, with Steph here too, so that’s going to be a lot of fun.”
What does the new TV deal mean for the NBA?
By US Sun Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.
The new television rights deal promises to be a big win for NBA players.
The league is expected to more than double revenue from its media partners, pocketing around $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap increase in 2025-26.
This will cause the value of players’ contracts to skyrocket.
Projected numbers suggest we could see the first $100 million per year deal being signed soon.
Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is currently set to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, bringing in $71.5 million in 2029-30.
It seems like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT actually split.
Inside the NBA is a unique sports entertainment program, as evidenced by ESPN’s continued failure to create its own version of the show in recent years.
The NBA won’t be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck’s endless fights every Tuesday night.
Fans shared their admiration for LeBron after hearing Kerr praise him at Olympic training camp.
“Love him, hate him, it doesn’t matter. You have to respect the work ethic required to maintain such a high level of anything for so long,” said one fan.
“Gotta respect that. Bring home that gold! Go to Team USA,” said another fan.
“There’s no way you’re going to do this for 22 years without working,” said a third fan.
“LeBron James is incredible as a person and athlete,” said a fourth fan.
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