LeBron James shouts out 2023 PG Gabe Cupps for his commitment to Indiana
Tuesday was one of the biggest days of Gabe Cupps‘ young life, and he got a major shoutout from one of the most well-known athletes on the planet.
Cupps, a four-star point guard in the 2023 cycle out of Dayton (Ohio) Centerville, committed to play at Indiana.
The news reached four-time NBA MVP and 17-time NBA All-Star LeBron James. James’ son, Bronny James, has played AAU ball with Cupps going back to when the family lived in Ohio.
James reposted Cupps’ Instagram post on his Instagram story, congratulating the high schooler and saying “Congrats nephew! Proud of You!!”
LeBron James and Gabe Cupps go way back
This isn’t the first time LeBron James has heaped praise upon his son’s good friend Gabe Cupps.
In May 2019, Cupps challenged James to a 3-point contest during an AAU tournament. Cupps, unsurprisingly, lost the battle and James posted a video of the contest on Instagram.
“I got called out by my guy and in my opinion the best shooters (he can do more too) for the Class of 2023 (Gabe Cupps) today,” James posted. “Told him about a certain switch I can hit when needed and he didn’t believe me. Well he found out the hard way!”
Gabe Cupps explains his decision to go to Indiana
Cupps is the No. 52 player in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He selected the Hoosiers over his state school Ohio State and Pac-12 Stanford, joining Jakai Newton in Indiana’s 2023 class.
He told On3’s Joe Tipton the challenge of returning the Hoosiers to their previous glory is something that excites him as a player.
“IU basketball means so much to the state of Indiana,” Cupps said. “I think that’s awesome because basketball means that much to me. I’ve been a basketball addict ever since I can remember. I already respect and trust the whole staff at IU and have heard nothing but good things about them. A chance to re-establish IU at the top of college basketball is something that I couldn’t pass up.”