Lakers coach Walton on LeBron: ‘He’s about the team’
Ahead of coaching LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luke Walton is doing his due diligence on the prized free-agent addition. That included his first meeting with James over the weekend in Las Vegas, which Walton came away encouraged by.
“He’s about the team. He’s about doing things the right way, and he’s about winning,” Walton told ESPN of James. “I can work with those qualities.”
Walton is entering his third year on the sideline for the Lakers. In preparation of managing James, he has reached out to two of the star’s former coaches - the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tyronn Lue and Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra - and James’ former teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, according to ESPN.
James, 33, averaged 27.5 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He agreed to join the Lakers on a four-year, $154 million deal on the first official day of free agency. James won’t be the first star player Walton has coached. The 38-yearold led the Golden State Warriors to a 39-4 record as interim coach in 2015-16 while Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery.
That team didn’t have Kevin Durant but still featured a loaded roster led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. While James met with Walton in Las Vegas, he isn’t expected to attend USA Basketball’s minicamp at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center from July 25-27, according to ESPN.
James, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time participant overall, is part of the 35-player pool the USA Basketball men’s national team announced in April. Twelve players from that pool will be selected to take part in the 2019 World Cup in China and 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
James wasn’t part of the 2016 team that won gold in Rio. The Vegas minicamp will be the first official event for this edition of USA Basketball under head coach Gregg Popovich.
Romo forfeits winner’s check from celebrity golf tourney
Tony Romo made tens of millions as a star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He also a pretty nice-paying gig as a TV commentator.
At least for now, though, Romo has not made a penny off his burgeoning golf career. That is by choice, not circumstance.
Romo did not accept the $125,000 winner’s check after clinching the American Century Championship celebrity tournament in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., on Sunday. He reportedly wants to retain his amateur status as he tries this Monday to qualify for the US Amateur.
The prize money will be donated to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Mo., as well as other charities, USA Today reported. Researchers at Stowers study the causes and treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Romo has won back-to-back tournaments after edging out former Oakland Athletics pitcher Mark Mulder for Sunday’s win. Others who notched top-10 finishes included NHL player Joe Pavelski, retired NBA star Ray Allen and fellow former quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien.
Earlier this year, Romo failed to qualify for the US Open at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas, shooting a 5-over-par 77 at a local qualifier.