LeBron James celebrates Duquesne's first March Madness win in 55 years after Dukes knock off BYU

Bryan Murphy

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LeBron James celebrates Duquesne's first March Madness win in 55 years after Dukes knock off BYU image

For the first time in 55 years, Duquesne is advancing in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Dukes knocked off the BYU Cougars 71-67 Thursday, winning their first-round game of March Madness. It was the first big upset of the 2024 competition, as the No. 11 seed Duquesne sent No. 6 seed BYU home early, setting up a second-round matchup against the winner of No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 14 seed Morehead State. 

While a number of Dukes fans were in Omaha to watch the basketball program, a noticeable name was cheering on Duquesne from afar: LeBron James.  

The Lakers star posted on X, formerly Twitter, giving head coach Keith Dambrot and his team praise after the win over BYU. 

James has a relationship with both Dambrot and associate head coach Dru Joyce III. He has been supporting Duquesne throughout the season and most recently during the team's run to the Atlantic 10 championship game, where the Dukes defeated Dayton for the conference title.  

Here is more to know about the connection between James and the Duquesne coaching staff. 

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LeBron James' relationship with Duquesne, explained

James, Dambrot and Joyce all have ties to Akron, Ohio.

The two members of Duquesne's coaching staff were part of James' high school team while at St. Vincent–St. Mary — Dambrot was the Irish's head coach, while Joyce was a point guard. The trio led St. Vincent-St. Mary to back-to-back state titles.

Dambrot left the program after the 2000-01 season to join Akron's coaching staff as an assistant. He was promoted to the role of head coach in 2004, keeping that role until his departure to Duquesne in 2017. 

By that point, Joyce had enrolled at Akron as well. He starred on Dambrot's team before embarking on a 12-year professional career of his own.

The pair would join forces years later. Joyce joined the coaching ranks after his playing career concluded in 2019, first getting an assistant coaching gig at Cleveland State. After three years with the Vikings, Joyce landed a new job as associate head coach at Duquesne, reuniting with Dambrot. 

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

Of course, while Dambrot and Joyce carved out careers on coaching staffs, James has built an illustrious career in the NBA that places him among the greatest players of all time.

While James has been in the bright lights of the pros, his connection to Dambrot and Joyce has not wavered. The four-time NBA champion gifted pairs of his signature shoe to Duquesne players before their first-round game against BYU.

Dambrot is set to retire following the conclusion of the Dukes' season, the program announced ahead of the tournament. The thought is that Joyce will take over in his place, earning his first head coaching gig at the collegiate level.

"We’ve been kind of grooming Coach Dru to take over for me,” Dambrot said, per The Duquesne Duke's Spencer Thomas. "Obviously, I’m biased but I think the program wouldn’t miss a beat if he gets the job."

Joyce said that he is more than willing to take up the responsibility if the opportunity presents itself. 

"Even since I was 12 and 13 years old, [Dambrot] has been building me for an opportunity to be a head coach," Joyce said. "He’s always understood that it was a dream of mine to do it, so I think he took full advantage of knowing what I wanted to do."

However, the Dukes aren't done dancing just yet. Dambrot has at least one more game in his coaching career set for Saturday, as Duquesne awaits the victor of the Illinois-Morehead State matchup in the second round. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.