LeBron James reveals who humbled him by kicking him out of practice

Long before he set foot on an NBA court, LeBron Jameswas already one of the most talked-about basketball players on Earth. Deemed ‘The Chosen One’ and drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan, the hype around him was unmatched.

James had nationwide media attending high school games in Akron, Ohio, and some of his games were even broadcast on ESPN. And that’s all before social media.

Nonetheless, despite all the hype, his coach at the time, Keith Dambrot, wanted to make sure to keep the future Los Angeles Lakers star on his toes. That’s why he looked to make an example out of him and threw him out of practice the first chance he got.

LeBron James’ High School Coach Wanted To Make An Example Out Of Him

“My sophomore year, the first practice, I came in projected as the number one player in the state of Ohio; I was projected to be an All-American as a sophomore, projected to be Mr. Basketball as a sophomore, which had never been done in Ohio high school history. And the first practice we had in our sophomore year after winning the state championship, I did absolutely nothing wrong coming out of football, he kicked me out of practice,” James said on his Mind The Game podcast.

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the New York Knicks during their game at Madison Square Garden on February 03, 2024 in New York City.

Of course, that caught him off guard at first. Then, he understood that his coach was just trying to set the tone for him and his teammates ahead of the upcoming season, as harsh as it may have been at the time:

“I had no idea why the f*ck he kicked me out of practice. And I think he was just setting the tone for the season,” James said. “Like, ‘I’ve heard all this stuff about how great you are, but no, I’ll humble your ass right now’. He kicked me out of practice, and the last thing he said to me when he kicked me out, he said, ‘Best sophomore in the country my ass’.”

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His unorthodox methods certainly worked out, as James and his team went on to have a 26-1 record and won two state championships during his sophomore year. The rest, as you know by now, is history.