The Duquesne men’s basketball team is set to embark on its first NCAA tournament run in 47 years, and it received an awesome gift from one of its most renowned supporters ahead of the first-round battle.
During a team meeting on Wednesday, the Dukes received a special delivery as a trolley of gifts were rolled into the room. It turns out, LeBron James had sent the entire squad some new sneakers ahead of their clash against the No. 6 BYU Cougars. In a video posted by Duquesne Basketball’s official X account, the team could be seen reacting to the arrival of the shoes, clearly elated by the generous offering from the 20-time NBA All-Star.
James has some ties to the program. The Dukes are coached by Keith Dambrot, who was James’s coach back at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Ohio.
Duquesne enjoyed a 24–11 campaign in 2023-24 and won the Atlantic 10, thus clinching a bid to the Big Dance.
The Los Angeles Lakers star congratulated the team on social media after winning the conference championship, and he followed that up in a big way with his shipment of shoes on Wednesday.
The Dukes haven’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1977 and haven’t advance past the first round of play since 1969. They’ll look to snap that drought with an upset win over BYU on Thursday, with tip-off scheduled for 12:40 p.m. EST.
