LeBron James surprised Grizzlies equipment manager with his shoes after win in Memphis
Brian’e Miller showed up to work on Friday night at the FedEx Forum wearing a pair of LeBrons, just like she does for every Memphis Grizzlies game.
What she didn’t know, though, was that she would end up leaving having met her favorite player.
Miller is an assistant equipment manager for the Grizzlies, and a huge LeBron James fan. So, while she was collecting warm-up gear from the Los Angeles Lakers’ bench area late during their 111-88 win over the Grizzlies, James stopped her.
He remembered her.
“Every year I’ve come here, she’s always worn a very exclusive pair of my shoes and I’ve always noticed it and I’ve never said anything to her,” James told the Commercial Appeal. “And tonight, I said something to her for the first time and she was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve always been Team LeBron. Always.’ So she got a pair of LeBrons.”
She didn’t just get a pair of LeBrons. She got the purple shoes he was wearing in the game that night.
The pair hugged, and instantly she started crying.
“It’s emotional because so many years I’ve been idolizing him,” Miller told the Commercial Appeal. “He has so many fans. That’s the thing. I’m not a fan just when LeBron comes. I’m a fan when he’s not looking, so it was just really cool to see him appreciate me.”
And while Miller has seen nearly every player in the league up close during her time as an equipment manager with the Grizzlies, Saturday night’s interaction marked one she won’t forget anytime soon.
“Priceless,” Miller told the Commercial Appeal. “I wasn’t expecting that, to come to work today and I’m going to get LeBron’s shoes. I’m just always trying to make the Lakers, or any team he’s on, comfortable because I know it’s hectic. It’s just trying to do my job and he blessed me with a pair of shoes.”
