Frances Tiafoe thrilled by reunion with 'GOAT' LeBron James

An avid basketball fan, Frances Tiafoe was thrilled to have another run-in with NBA legend LeBron James.

Tiafoe recently competed at the Sunshine Double and came away with contrasting results at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. The American put on a strong showing at the Indian Wells Masters with a semi-final exit to Daniil Medvedev. However, he was unable to keep the momentum going in Miami as he suffered a second-round defeat at the hands of Lorenzo Sonego.

Frances Tiafoe is currently in Houston for the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships to get his clay season underway. By virtue of his new partnership with Stella Artois, the American received tickets to the LA Lakers-Houston Rockets game on Monday, April 3.

While there, Tiafoe had the good fortune to meet basketball legend LeBron James. He had the pleasure of watching the Lakers defeat the Rockets 134-109, with a triple-double by LeBron James.

The World No. 15 was excited to share the moment on social media as he lavished praise on James.

"Always an honor @kingjames. You ain’t only just the [GOAT] but one of the realest dudes out here. All love brotha," Tiafoe wrote on Instagram.

Frances Tiafoe previously met LeBron James during a match between the LA Lakers and the Washington Wizards on December 6, 2022.

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Frances Tiafoe advocates for tennis to embrace a basketball-inspired spectator culture

Tiafoe speaking to the press

Frances Tiafoe expressed his desire to see spectators express themselves freely during tennis matches.

"I think fans should be able to come and go and move around and speak during matches," he said in an interview with Forbes.

He stated that it would be unreasonable for basketball fans to be held back from cheering during NBA matches.

He emphasized that he plays best when the crowd is enthusiastic and said that he would like for tennis spectators to be introduced to some basketball-inspired changes and get involved in the match.

"Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything," he said. "I am getting pumped up and I want the crowd [to get pumped up]. I'm just doing me, just being me. I'm going to do me and do what helps me play my best."

Fellow American tennis player Jessica Pegula shared her support for Frances Tiafoe's views, stating that incorporating basketball-inspired changes into tennis could be a way to attract a younger audience to the sport.

"I think, yeah, to bring some personality to the sport, I think we have to start looking at some different things to touch a younger generation," she said.