Lakers superstar LeBron James had high praise for David Fizdale ahead of Tuesday night's matchup in New York against the Knicks.
Fizdale, who was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Knicks earlier this season, served as one of James' assistant coaches during his stint with the Miami Heat. A lot has been said about the way New York handled Fizdale's firing, with several prominent figures around the league denouncing the move. James tempered his reaction when asked, instead noting that Fizdale is a great coach and communicator.
“I haven’t had too much of a reaction,” James told reporters after the Lakers played the back end of a Staples Center doubleheader on Sunday, via The New York Post. “The conversation was talked about for quite a while. I know coach Fiz is a great coach, great communicator — just trying to motivate his players. I wish him the best. That’s all that matters.”
James and Fizdale share a close bond. In fact, The King actually had Fizdale appear in a Samsung commercial with him as a wedding gift one year.
“He cares,” Fizdale said of James before taking the Knicks' head coaching job, via Business Insider. “He really cares about the 15th guy on the bench. He cared about us as coaches.
“He put me in a commercial once as a wedding gift” Fizdale added. “How about that? Because I said, ‘Don't get me anything.' Instead of him listening, he says, ‘Hey, coach, why don't you be in the Samsung commercial with me?' You know, that's a nice little check for an assistant coach. And [the card] says, ‘Hey, man, congratulations on your wedding.'”
Like many others, James wasn't happy with the card that the Knicks dealt Fizdale. James was also vocal when the Grizzlies let Fizdale go in 2017, tweeting out that it felt like his former coach was a “fall guy.”
Fizdale, now 45 years of age, could be a solid option for teams interested in a coach — be it head or assistant. Let's see if he lands another gig in the near future.
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