Erik Spoelstra Discusses Bond With LeBron James

On Wednesday, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reflected on a conversation that he had with LeBron James last year, during which the two grew closer.

During a November 27th loss to the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron was seen bumping into Spoelstra on his way back to the bench. The bump heard 'round the world created some media controversy, with many people speculating that it indicated a lack of respect and trust.

But Spoelstra reportedly met with James after the incident and again in early Decemeber to talk, and he says that the conversations helped the two men to grow closer.

"It was a reminder for both of us that we have to manage all the noise outside and keep it to what's real," said Spoelstra. "The only things that matter are the people in the locker room. At the end of the day, a lot of the noise will be pointed in our direction.

"It was probably one of the steps when we started to develop a deeper trust [with each other]. We were in a similar boat together and it wasn't about us. And we needed to be able to manage that and not let it be a distraction."

Spoelstra also praised James's ability to deal with all the media scrutiny and public criticism of both LeBron and the Miami Heat team.

"He's been a lightning rod," said Spoelstra. "He's done a very good job of compartmentalizing all of that and to just be a member of the team."

All this attention and scrutiny is relatively new for Spoelstra, who is in only his third season as head coach for the Miami Heat. But Spoelstra understands that James has been dealing with this kind of attention for years.

"This has been new for me. This has been new for a lot of the guys in this gym," said Spoelstra. "[But] this right here is the world that LeBron has been living in since seventh grade. He's used to navigating and negotiating this world. But it was an adjustment for me in November."

(Sources: ESPN.com)

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