Earlier this month, a report suggested that noted Ohio State fan LeBron James was pushing for the Ohio State Buckeyes to hire Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May as their next head coach after parting ways with Chris Holtmann earlier this season. The Buckeyes opted to go in a different direction, but it sounds like they still have James’ support.
On Sunday morning, the Ohio State Buckeyes formally announced that they were shedding the interim tag from Jake Diebler and naming him the full-time head coach after he led the team to a 6-2 record down the stretch and brought them to the brink of an NCAA Tournament appearance.
And it sounds like LeBron James approves of the hire.
Following the team’s announcement, James shared the news on his Instagram story, congratulating Diebler and making it clear that he supports the decision.
How's that for an endorsement? 👀@KingJames | @JakeDiebler pic.twitter.com/0HhyKOyU4A
— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) March 18, 2024
Obviously, it’s pretty significant news that James approves of the hire given how much he has supported the program in the past – he even has an honorary locker within the team’s locker room – and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
https://x.com/LawrenceUSI/status/1769854165428084887?s=20
https://x.com/BurnerOfMatt/status/1769854491942170858?s=20
https://x.com/OfficialQBGuru/status/1769855686328942776?s=20
James has been a prominent fan of Ohio State athletics for years and even insists he would have attended Ohio State had he gone to college. It doesn’t look like Ohio State hiring Diebler will change that.
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