Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay was hoping Doug Gottlieb would be able to give its men’s basketball team a spark when he was hired as their new head coach. That has decidedly not been the case, and LeBron James was more than happy to kick him while he’s down after he asserted Bronny would struggle to be a starter on a team that probably could have used him.
Doug Gottlieb initially played basketball at Notre Dame before finishing his college career at Oklahoma after he was banished from South Bend for using credit cards he stole from some of his fellow undergrads, and he briefly pursued an ill-fated career as a pro before becoming one of the many former athletes to pivot to broadcasting.
That ended up working out pretty well for the man who eventually landed a gig with ESPN Radio to kick off a journey that’s seen him work as a basketball analyst for outlets including CBS Sports, the Pac-12 Network, and Fox Sports.
Gottlieb was working for the last one on that list when he announced he’d accepted the job as the head coach of the men’s team at Wisconsin-Green Bay last season, and the school made the fairly bold decision to allow him to keep hosting his eponymous radio show while simultaneously helming the squad.
That marked the first time the nearly 50-year-old skipper had coached at the college level, and while the school was obviously hoping to benefit from the addition of a fairly high-profile name, the gamble has not paid off based on what’s transpired during his first season with the Phoenix.
Green Bay got off to a 2-3 start before kicking off a 20-game losing streak that began toward the end of November and lasted for close to three months until they beat Wright State on Sunday to “improve” to 3-24 with four games left on a regular season schedule that will soon come to a merciful end.
Gottlieb hasn’t done himself any favors as far as optics are concerned, as that dismal stretch included a loss to a DII team he referred to as “Nobody U” before he lost to them and saw him escape to New Orleans to do his show during the leadup to the Super Bowl while seemingly shedding a blinding light on where his priorities lie.
His haters have subsequently been eating very, very well—a list of people that includes LeBron James, who gleefully trampled on his grave with the tweet he sent out on Monday while reacting to Green Bay’s performance under Gottlieb this season.
Earned 2 Not Given! Gotta give him credit though! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. 💩 💩 💩 💩 💩 https://t.co/khxpnlvUY1
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 17, 2025
That response requires a little bit of context, as Gottlieb previously called LeBron a “bad basketball parent” while discussing how the Lakers have handled the addition of Bronny and said the 20-year-old NBA rookie probably would have had trouble earning a spot as a starter if he played at Green Bay.
There’s no telling if Gottlieb will be invited back for a second season, but it does seem like he really has nowhere to go but up if that does end up being the case.