When Michigan State’s Tom Izzo came extremely close to teaming up with LeBron James in 2010

Tom Izzo first joined Michigan State as an assistant coach in 1983 and later took over as the head coach in 1995. In the time since then and now, Izzo has been courted by multiple NBA teams to make the move to the pro leagues. Some of these teams include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls.

The most prominent of them all was his rumored move to the Cavaliers in 2010. This was because his potential shift was linked to LeBron James, who was also in the middle of trade talks.

According to Tom Izzo, he had had some "serious conversations" with the Cavaliers. However, LeBron announced "The Decision" to move to the Miami Heat a week after the interview, and this fizzled out the conversations between the team and Izzo.

During an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show" six years later, when LeBron James had returned to Cleveland, the Naismith Hall of Fame coach recalled the job offer:

"Dan Gilbert (Cavs owner) is, you know, (a) Michigan State guy and a great guy and would have been a guy that I definitely could have worked for. He impressed me on the interview. I guess I'm just a college guy.

"But of some of the jobs that I've had a chance to go to, this was one that definitely intrigued me the most. Just because of the way Dan was in his passion for winning and I thought he was going to run a good organization."

A look at Tom Izzo's coaching record at Michigan State

Tom Izzo is the longest-serving Big Ten coach with a 41-year career with the Spartans, including 12 as an assistant coach. He led Michigan State to one NCAA championship in 2000 and one title game in 2009. Since 1998, the Spartans have never missed a March Madness tournament and have made eight Final Four appearances.

Besides the on-court achievements of his players, Izzo places equal emphasis on academic excellence. According to the school's website, in the 28 years under his leadership, 87% of Spartan players have finished their studies and received their undergraduate degrees thereafter.

Tom Izzo was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2016, and they described him as:

"Michigan State’s all-time winningest coach, Izzo, is a strong advocate for coaches and a guardian of the game, while he is also universally recognized for being among the most media-accessible, frank, and personable coaches in the profession."

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