LeBron James Pays Tribute To Paul Silas, Hails Late Mentor as 'One of the Greatest'

The passing of Paul Silas at age 79 on Sunday was a great loss to the NBA community.

He was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the second round of the NBA draft in 1964-1965 and made his debut that season. With his strength, Paul Silas became known as one of the league's most incredible power forwards in the 1970s.

The Paul Silas-LeBron Bond

In eight separate seasons, Silas was regarded as a rebounding machine, who averaged double digits. He won three NBA championships: two with the Boston Celtics and one with the Seattle SuperSonics, according to Yahoo! Sports.

After that, Paul Silas spent several years as a coach, most notably in Charlotte. During his two years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had the chance to be the first head coach of superstar LeBron James during the 2003-04 NBA season

Silas was hired before LeBron James's first season because he was seen to be a great role model for James when he entered the NBA at 18 years old. Paul Silas was a great fit to help LeBron succeed in the NBA because of his background as a player and his track record of success as a coach, as per a Lakers Nation story.

LeBron James was evidently influenced by Silas, both on and off the court, although he was only with the Cavaliers for two seasons. Nearly all of the players that played for him held Silas in high regard, therefore the decision to fire him in Cleveland was met with some controversy.

Sports writer Dave Hogg shared on Twitter that he had the chance to meet Paul Silas and a young LeBron James during a shootaround in the four-time MVP's first preseason game. Hogg stated that the late head coach praised LeBron for his amazing court vision and for being one of the well-versed players in the league despite his young age.

According to an ESPN story, Paul Silas once reflected: "I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable."

LeBron James Honors First NBA Head Coach

LeBron James was questioned about Paul Silas death after the Lakers' victory against the Detroit Pistons, and he had nothing but kind words to say about his old mentor, as reported by Spectrum SportsNet:

"Probably one of the greatest human beings I've ever been around. The start of my journey in this league started with him and his command, his principles, his attention to detail, but his love for family, James remarked.

The Lakers superstar mentioned that he made sure to seek out his former mentor whenever he was in Charlotte.

LeBron also extended his "deepest sympathies" to Paul Silas' son Stephen and his lovely wife. "I'm really saddened by this news," the 37-year-old veteran expressed about Paul Silas death.

Aside from LeBron James, NBA legend and Lakers icon Magic Johnson was among the many noteworthy personalities that reacted to Paul Silas death.

"RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas," Magic posted on Twitter, offering prayers and condolences to the bereaved family, Clutch Points reported.

The late basketball icon's son Stephen Silas, the head coach of the Houston Rockets, is carrying on his father's legacy in the NBA by helping develop young men to achieve their full potential.

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Lebron james, Magic johnson, NBA, Basketball, Charlotte hornets, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Los angeles lakers, Cleveland cavaliers