When the NCAA “March Madness” Tournament begins each year, people fill out their brackets and hope for the best.

Superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has never participated in the tournament because he entered the NBA straight out of high school, but he does have a slight like for Duquesne University.

The Dukes, headed by future Lakers guard Norm Nixon, are participating in their first NCAA Tournament since 1977. However, Keith Dambrot, the team’s coach this year, really spent two years coaching LeBron James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

LeBron is therefore a huge supporter of his old coach and gave Dambrot’s squad a small present before the game. Before their game versus BYU, the Lakers player gave the Duquesne men’s basketball team pairs of his sneakers. Duquesne Men’s Basketball on X:

The fact that Dambrot has declared he is retiring from coaching at the end of this season, meaning every tournament game may be his final, makes things even more memorable for Duquesne, Dambrot, and LeBron. However, that was not the case on Thursday as the 11-seed Dukes shocked everyone by defeating the 6-seed Cougars 71-67. James was very happy about this:

This action is not surprising because LeBron has always been about giving back to people who have shaped both his community and himself as a child. These players will always remember the moment they received those shoes from a basketball legend like LeBron James. LeBron has never forgotten that Dambrot undoubtedly had an influence on both his basketball career and his life in general. LeBron’s influence is felt far beyond the basketball court, and it is these kinds of deeds that genuinely distinguish him.