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LeBron James responded to Mirra Andreeva after the teenager acknowledged that she drew inspiration from the NBA legend in the Indian Wells final. The 17-year-old player mentioned in an interview that she had been listening to one of James' speeches, which helped her find inspiration before claiming the title.
The World No. 6 has often spoken about her love for sports as a spectator, not just in tennis. Andreeva talked in an interview with Tennis Channel about the influence of a LeBron James speech in the hours leading up to her match against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the title at the Tennis Garden.
The Russian put on a phenomenal performance to win her second WTA title after coming from behind to defeat Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, extending her winning streak to 12 matches. “I was listening to LeBron James’ interview and he was saying that even if you don’t play at 100% or if you don’t feel 100% physically, you still have to choose to be 100% mentally,” she said.
“He said that’s what makes us champions. So I kind of tried to do the same. It didn’t really work in the beginning, but after some time, I managed to overcome that and really go for my shots and act like one of the legends,” the teenage star added.
LeBron James himself took note of Andreeva’s comments and shared the post on his Instagram story, congratulating the Russian on her achievement: “Congratulations!! Happy to have helped, but honestly YOU did THAT!! All your hard work, drive, and dedication towards your craft! KEEP GOING!” the basketball player wrote in his heartfelt message to Andreeva.
Andreeva surely didn’t expect that LeBron James would hear about her big achievement at Indian Wells. A year ago, the Russian spoke multiple times about her amazement at meeting tennis stars while competing on the Tour, but this time, it’s an absolute legend of the sport praising Andreeva.
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