OAKLAND, US: Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said Thursday he blundered in revealing to ESPN the details of his mysterious health problems — that he had been receiving treatment for anxiety.
Lue took a medical leave of absence in March, after being forced to leave the bench on several occasions during the season.
The Cavs coach told ESPN he had been suffering from chest pains and had coughed up blood before receiving treatment and making changes to his diet.
“I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious,” Lue told ESPN ahead of Cleveland’s opening game one of the NBA Finals against Golden State here Thursday. “Just anxiety, and the medication I’m on is great. No more chest pains, so everything’s been great.”
But in a pre-game media session before the opener, Lue confessed he had not intended to say so much about his health issues.
“To be honest, I messed up,” Lue said. “I didn’t even really know I said it. It just kind of came out during the interview.”
Lue revealed in the pre-game comments that the NBA playoffs are one of his “happy places.”
“The biggest thing is that I feel great,” Lue said. “And talking to my doctor, one of my happy places is the playoffs. So that’s a good thing. I do feel great though.”
Lue said changes to lifestyle and medication had helped treat his stress.
“I think for the first time in my career, 20 years, I had a chance to focus on me. It wasn’t as bad as people thought it was. But I did have some chest pains for the last couple of years. And I was just trying to be able to get through it not knowing what was wrong with me,” Lue said.
“So the two weeks I took off, just finally had a chance to focus on myself and change my diet. Hired a chef. Stopped drinking as many Shirley Temples. And stopped with the sweets and got back to taking care of myself. Now I feel great.”
Lue said he had received support from around the NBA since his ESPN revelations.
“A lot of people are going through a lot of different things,” Lue said. “Just being able to cope with it and understand there are a lot of different people who have reached out to me and told me they experienced some of the same things.”
Lue said he had received support from across the league, including from Golden State counterpart Steve Kerr, who battled his own health issues last year, missing part of his team’s greatest-ever 16-1 playoff run after complications from back surgery.
“When you’re in this position, you’re in the NBA, and you have your family and your friends and everybody you want to take care of and make sure they’re comfortable, you kind of lose sight of yourself and what it takes for you,” Lue said.
“So being able to do that and get sleep now regularly is great.”
Cavaliers coach Lue accidentally reveals anxiety treatment
Cavaliers coach Lue accidentally reveals anxiety treatment
Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh
- Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
- Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly
RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup.
It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition.
Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.
Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.
Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.
They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.
Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.
Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.
Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.
Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.
Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.
