Watch: NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue addresses the Ohio State football team
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the best to ever lace ’em up at Nebraska, Tyronn Lue is a Cornhusker through and through.
But for at least one day, the head coach of the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers was a Buckeye.
With the Cavs in Columbus for a Tuesday night preseason tilt with the Washington Wizards, Lue and Cavaliers general manager David Griffin took some time to stop by Ohio State’s practice on Monday. There, Lue addressed the second-ranked Buckeyes, after being introduced to the team by the city’s most famous lifelong Cavs fan, Urban Meyer.
The Cavs’ official Twitter account shared some highlights from Lue’s visit.
Coach Lue visited @OSUCoachMeyer & the @OhioStateFB team yesterday!
Find out his advice for the Buckeyes:#AllForOhio pic.twitter.com/3e4fVNek18
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 18, 2016
“Every time I see clips of Game 7 [of the NBA Finals] or even the preseason when they show it on the Jumbotron, I get chills in my body just for how we did it and how we came back and were able to come together and win a championship the way we did,” Lue told the Buckeyes.
While at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Lue talked quarterback play with Buckeyes signal-caller J.T. Barrett and took a look at Ohio State’s extensive trophy collection. But perhaps the highlight of the visit came when Buckeyes H-back Dontre Wilson asked Lue about the play he’s most remembered for in his playing career — being on the wrong end of an Allen Iverson crossover in the 2001 NBA Finals.
The former Los Angeles Laker offered a rather thorough defense of the play, then said, “I tell a lot of people, if I can win a championship by doing that, he can step over me every single night. I really don’t care.”
Laughter followed, as did a nod of approval from Meyer. The Lakers lost that Game 1 then won the next four to win the title.
Sometimes a championship connection transcends conference allegiances.