Tyronn Lue has been laughed at and in memes probably more than he would like, thanks to the famous stepover by Allen Iverson during Game One of the 2001 NBA Finals.
That’s cool. It happens. But Lue’s mother hasn’t worked since he began his NBA career.
The former Los Angeles Clippers head coach joined The Pivot podcast, where he shared his path to the NBA and how he was able to make his mother’s life easier.
“When I got drafted, my mom and grandma they ain’t work another day of their life,” Lue recalled on The Pivot. “They’ve been getting a check for 25 years, every month. That was a blessing for me to be able to take care of them and to see where we come from and all the struggles we had of being poor.”
Lue began his high school career at Mexico Senior High School. But for his sophomore season, Lue moved to Kansas City, where he became a star hooper at Raytown High School. His domination on the court won him a full scholarship to Nebraska. As a Cornhusker, Lue’s squad won the NIT championship in 1996. The 6-4 guard finished his college season with 432 dimes, 1,577 buckets, 145 3-pointers made, and 154 steals, according to Andscape.
Also, during The Pivot interview, Lue spoke about his financial adviser pointing out that he was spending a lot of money on family members. Lue told The Pivot that he disregarded the advice.
“I said, ‘Man, I’d rather be broke. I don’t want to be rich and my family be broke,” Lue said. “I’d rather be broke as long as they’re successful and as long as they’re happy, then I’m OK.’ They did a lot raising me. If you just see all the things they did for me to get to this point. I owe them everything. I’ve made a lot of money. I’m secure with my money. I don’t have any kids so it goes to my family.”
Lue played 11 years in the league, winning two NBA championships with the Lakers. Before taking over head coach duties for the Clippers, Lue served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Watch the interview in its entirety below.