LOS ANGELES – In March 2018, chest pain alarmed then-Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue enough for him to take a leave of absence two years after leading the team to its first NBA championship. As LA Clippers coach, Lue is under pressure to coach perhaps the most talented team in franchise history to its first title this season.
Now the 46-year-old is in a much better position to handle the weight of it all.
“It’s a tough season, a lot of stressing and pressures,” Lue told Andscape recently. “When you’re dealing with that, you get lazy. You don’t work out. You get fatigued. I just try to have a whole different slate and tried something different. It’s been good.”
On Wednesday, Lue and the Clippers host James and the crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET). Lue became an NBA coach for the first time after being promoted by the Cavaliers in January 2016 to replace David Blatt. With James as his star, Lue achieved quick success when the Cavaliers defeated the host Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. He became the second rookie coach in two years to win the title. At the end of the game, Lue burst into tears.
“I’ve always been tough and never cried. A lot of emotions just built up,” Lue told the media at that time.
From that point on, life became much tougher for Lue with the Cavs.
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The Cavaliers went 12-1 heading into the 2017 NBA playoffs under Lue before losing to the Warriors in the Finals that year. The pressure of coaching Cleveland began to worsen for Lue during the 2017-18 season. He was struggling with his weight and diet, not sleeping and was suffering scary chest pains.
Former Cavaliers forward Kevin Love said the players noticed that “physically and mentally it was taking a toll” on Lue at that time.
“He wasn’t sleeping. When he came to practice, he was exhausted and cooked. And then he went home and slept,” Love, now with the Miami Heat, told Andscape. “And then it was just kind of the same thing over and over again when we got back from long road trips, back-to-backs or whatever it was. It was the grind of the season, personal habits and everything that goes into putting so much into the game and us. Having expectations and having to juggle so much was a lot.”
On March 19, 2018, Lue announced in a team statement that it was “best for the team and my health” to take a leave of absence. Two episodes of chest pains before games were the final straw. Lue revealed that he had “chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year.” Associate head coach Larry Drew took over in his absence.
“It was caused by the stress levels. Not working out. Eating bad. I wasn’t sleeping,” Lue said. “I was trying to be good, make sure the team was in the right spot. Your goal is try to win a championship. A lot is on the line with that.”
Afterward, Lue, then 39, hoped to improve his health with a “prescribed routine and medication.” He changed his diet, stopped drinking sugary beverages like Shirley Temples, slept more with the aid of medication and hired a chef. Lue returned to the sideline for the Cavaliers on April 5, 2018, after missing nine games.
“It was a tough. I took two weeks off to work on myself … My doctor in Cleveland really helped steer me in the right direction,” Lue said.
During his hiatus, Lue also received valuable counsel from Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who took a leave of absence during the first 43 games of the 2015-16 season due to debilitating back pain. After returning to coaching, Lue said he appreciated Kerr telling him to put his health first.
Kerr was glad to offer advice to Lue.
“We were going through our health stuff at the same time,” Kerr told Andscape. “I called him when that happened to check in on him because I could relate. I had missed games the previous [season]. That is when we first started getting to know each other. We’re all getting older and getting more susceptible to stuff. It’s tough when you see someone struggling.
“We talked a little bit about it this past summer. Neither one of us is 25 and spry anymore. You just adapt. Ty has had to share of stuff, too, just as I have.”
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Love recalled supportive Cavaliers players believing that Lue’s hiatus was much-needed. The five-time NBA All-Star said Lue had more energy and paid more attention to detail when he returned.
“I remember us just supporting him, having his back,” Love said. “He was in bad shape. He had to take a step away so he could take a step forward when he did come back.”
James left Lue and the Cavaliers to join the Lakers as a free agent in the summer of 2018. Lue’s time in Cleveland didn’t last much longer — he was fired following an 0-6 start to the 2018-19 season. Lue left the Cavaliers with a 128-83 record and three years and $19 million remaining on his contract. Lue told The Athletic that he didn’t think he should have been fired, believing his success should have given him more leeway.
Lue rejoined coach Doc Rivers as an assistant coach with the Clippers during the 2019-2020 season. After Rivers and the Clippers came to a “mutual decision” for Rivers to step down as coach in 2020, Lue was promoted to head coach on Oct. 20, 2020. Despite forward Kawhi Leonard suffering a knee injury in the Western Conference semifinals, which ruled him out for the playoffs, Lue coached the Clippers to their first Western Conference finals appearance in 2022.
Los Angeles entered Wednesday’s game with a 37-19 record, fourth in the Western Conference standings, with a roster with four projected future Hall of Famers, 2024 NBA All-Stars Paul George and Leonard as well as James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
“I’ve been challenged a lot in terms of coaching four future Hall of Famers to do different things, having to communicate differently and having to coach differently. So, it’s made me a better coach as well,” Lue said.
Lue was a journeyman, defensive-minded point guard during his 11-year NBA career. He won two titles with Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the Lakers. He also played with NBA icon Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards.
George likes the direction of the Clippers under Lue and believes his NBA playing experience has benefited him as a coach.
“He played, so he understands what it’s like being a player,” George told Andscape. “He’s been in locker rooms. He has played with the biggest personalities. He just knows how to communicate with personalities. His coaching is his personality. His calmness. His smoothness. His patience. All of that comes out in his coaching.”
Lue is also still working diligently on his health.
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Lue has been receiving guidance from Clippers vice president of medical Maggie Bryant and head strength and conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro. Lue usually exercises daily by walking on an elliptical and stationary fitness machine and plans to begin weight training soon. He says he has also lost 30 pounds since last summer,
“I’ve been working out. Eating better. I still have my moments. [I’m] Eating less. It’s been good,” Lue said. “Daniel has done a good job of staying on me because I can stray away. I’m just doing 20 to 30 minutes per day …
“Now I’m about 208 [pounds]. Back [in Cleveland] I was 241. I can’t believe I got that big.”
Lue also told Andscape he eats only 1-1½ meals a day. There may be a snack here and there, but nothing major. Lue added that he is pretty strict, especially on non-game days, about eating one big meal a day.
“I try to eat once a day, most of the time at 3 o’clock [p.m.] every day and I’ll be good. I’ve trained myself, trained my mind,” he said.
“He looks great. There is more levity to him as well,” Love said.
Once the NBA season is over, Lue will be coaching for an Olympic gold medal.
Lue, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Gonzaga University men’s basketball head coach Mark Few are assistant coaches under Kerr with USA Basketball. Under Kerr, the Americans didn’t medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, finishing in fourth place. But USA Basketball is expected to win gold this summer with a star-studded team that is expected to have James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid on the roster at the 2024 Paris Games.
Kerr says Lue’s basketball IQ and calming presence are key components in his USA Basketball staff.
“If you’re going to survive, you can’t be too high or too low from one game to next,” Kerr told Andscape. “When I see him, I see the ultimate picture of poise, calm and composure. That is why he is really good at his job. He is really smart and sees the game beautifully and communicates well.
“And it’s not the end the world when things go wrong. Players need to see that kind of equilibrium.”
Lue says he would love nothing more than to give Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and their long-suffering fans an elusive title. While time will tell what happens with the Clippers and USA Basketball this year, Lue expects to be sufficiently healthy enough to embrace it all.
“I’ve been enjoying it,” Lue said of coaching. “Usually when you lose a game or two, you think it’s the end of the world. But I’ve been enjoying it, taking it one day at a time, just trying to figure it out. It’s been great for me to just do different things that I know I can do.”
Said Love: “Ty is going to figure it out one way or another. He has a basketball mind that is special. He knows who he is and how to take care of things on the floor. But him taking care of his physical health is going to pay dividends long-term for him.”
