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Gregg Popovich gushes over year 18 LeBron James ahead of Lakers-Spurs matchup

Published by
Brad Sullivan

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has watched Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James over his entire NBA career and remains amazed as James is starting up his 18th season.

Both James and Popovich have previously expressed deep respect for each other’s accomplishments, with Popovich leading the Spurs to five NBA titles and James winning four championships with three different teams.

Popovich’s titles with the Spurs have been aided by the type of unselfish play that James has embodied over the course of his legendary career.

On three different occasions, James has faced Popovich’s Spurs in the NBA Finals, with Popovich holding a slight 2-1 edge in those meetings.

In 2007, Popovich and the Spurs swept James’ undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers team. Six years later, James forged a comeback from a 3-2 finals deficit to win the 2013 NBA title in seven games for the Miami Heat and win Finals MVP honors for his effort.

Just one year later, Popovich and the Spurs got revenge by defeating James and the Heat again.

James and Popovich are now battling within the Western Conference, but it seems unlikely that the Spurs will be challenging for another title in the near future.

Despite that status, Popovich isn’t likely to lose any of the respect for James’ body of work by the time the veteran retires.

Brad Sullivan

Brad is a freelance writer for LakersDaily.com, who can clearly recall watching Lakers games in 1972 as they captured the first of their 11 Los Angeles-based titles. The franchise's evolution into a beloved and iconic franchise among its fan base since that memorable year allows for a wider perspective to be a part of his writing about the team's current fortunes.

Published by
Brad Sullivan

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