Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that his two sons are fans of LeBron James, but because of his appearance in “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” not basketball.
The Heat and Lakers battle each other in Miami on Sunday night, with Spoelstra’s sons in attendance. While they’ll no doubt focus on their father, they’ll get to see James playing the game that made him famous enough to be in that film.
Spoelstra’s sons weren’t around during the four years in which their father served as James’ head coach from 2010 to 2014. During that span, James, along with players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, led the Heat to trips to the finals and two NBA titles.
James’ key role in those championships also came with Finals MVP awards as well. After James left the Heat in 2014, he went on to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers to one four years later.
Sunday’s game and the fanfare surrounding it may leave an immediate impact with the Spoelstra’s sons, though their father’s influence figures to resonate much more deeply in the years ahead.
Still, at some point in the future, Spoelstra will be in attendance when James enters the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Perhaps at that point, they’ll have a better understanding of just how much of an impact James has had on the game.
The Heat begin a four-game homestand with their game against the Lakers, with a Wednesday date against the New York Knicks next on the schedule.