Before his tenure as a championship coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyronn Lue was – perhaps unfairly – best know for being the guy Allen Iverson infamously stepped over in the 2001 NBA Finals. But it diminishes the fact that Lue had a long and modestly-successful career as a solid NBA journeyman.
During that journey, he won a pair of championships with the Lakers at the turn of the millennium, and following that stint, he had the opportunity to play two seasons with the GOAT, Michael Jordan, in Washington. And according to Lue, he emphatically did not walk away from that experience empty-handed.
Prior to the Cavs’ game against the Wizards on Monday night, reporters grilled Lue about that period and about just how much MJ swag he ended up with. At first, he tried to play coy about it, but when pressed, he admitted that he has a veritable treasure chest of autographed game-worn jerseys and shoes, and a whole lot more. Via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
If you’re wondering, quick Google searches showed a game-worn Jordan Wizards jersey available for $11,640, and autographed Jordan shoes for $8,700.
“I earned it by playing hard every night,” Lue said. “That’s all I could give him. That’s how I earned it.”
***
“I got a nice museum,” he said. “Got a good collection, a very very nice collection. I pride myself on that collection. One day I’ll show you.”
Lue has been truly blessed to both play alongside and coach some of the greatest and most compelling figures in NBA history, and it sounds like he’s built up quite an impressive collection of memorabilia to show for it.
