LeBron James has recounted a compelling anecdote regarding his expulsion from practice prior to his sophomore year of high school.

James stated on the Mind the Game podcast that despite all the acclaim surrounding them, his coach at the time, Keith Dambrot, was determined to keep James and his team grounded.”On the first day of practice during my sophomore year, I was ranked as the number one player in the state of Ohio, predicted to be an All-American, and predicted to be Mr. Basketball, an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of Ohio high schools. 

And he booted me out of our first practice as sophomores following our state championship victory; I had done nothing wrong upon exiting the football field.”… I was completely perplexed as to why he expelled me from practice. I believe he was merely establishing the atmosphere for the season. For instance, “I’ve heard everything you’ve said about how great you are, but I’ll humble your аrse immediately.”   

The final thing he said to me before kicking me out of practice was, “My аss, you’re the best sophomore in the country.”Clearly, James benefited considerably more from the tough coaching style than he did from it.In his sophomore season, he demonstrated remarkable fortitude by averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 steals per game. Additionally, under his guidance, St. Vincent–St. Mary went 26-1 and were re-crowned state champions.