Dru Joyce is now an associate head coach for the Duquesne Dukes basketball team. Joyce is the high school friend of NBA star LeBron James.
6 feet tall Dru played basketball for St. Vincent St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. With time, Joyce garnered great recognition alongside Sean Cotton, Romeo Travis, and Willie McGee as Lebron James high school teammates.
The former point guard is a member of the three-time state and national champion team during high school. While the Irish hoops team recorded an outlandish 103-5 record during his four seasons, Dru was a crucial member of Fab5.
Joyce was born on 2 January 1985 in Akron Ohio and grew up in an athletic environment playing alongside his brother. Considering his father Dru Joyce II was a coach back then, it is pretty imperative that Dru was inspired by his old folks.
Even since Peacock released the biographical sports film Shooting Stars on June 2, 2023, King James and his high school buddies have become the talk of the town once again.
While Marquis “Mookie” Cook has played the reel role of LeBron, Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin has portrayed Lil Dru in the movie.
Dru Joyce Whereabouts in 2023
Dru Joyce is serving as the Duquesne Dukes associate head coach in 2023. He was recently seen in the premiere of the movie Shooting Stars.
Lil Dru joined the Dukes men's basketball team in 2022. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Cleveland State Vikings from 2019 to 2022.
With the recent release of the movie, Joyce made frequent media appearances and has remained in the highlights with his presence at the movie premiere, promotions, and other social media activities.
Furthermore, he was also present at the Crypto Arena on 7th February 2023 to watch his buddy King James break the all-time NBA scoring record previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Dru took to social media to express his happiness and huge pride in LeBron for his discipline, energy, continuous effort, and greatness as a whole.
Dru Joyce Family Life
Dru Joyce wife Lanae Joyce tied the knot on 18th August 2012. The dazzling couple has been in a marital relationship for more than a decade.
The former Fighting Irish point guard never misses wishing a happy wedding anniversary to Lanae with heartful messages on his Instagram id.
Dru Joyce has three kids named Alivia Joyce, Kanin Joyce, and Avery Joyce. Alivia is the oldest in the lineage, whereas Avery is the youngest.
Lil Dru became a father for the first time on May 18, 2010, with the birth of Alivia. The elder girl is also called Livy Lou by her brood members.
Likewise, Kanin Joyce turned nine years old on 14 September 2022 as Joyce III took to Instagram to wish the little boy a happy birthday. Since Kanin has a similar resemblance to his father, Dru also makes a lighthearted Twins joke on him.
The youngest of them, Avery was born on September 2019 as both Lanae and Dru shared the news of becoming parents again on their socials.
With more than 70k followers on his Instagram account @druondemand, Joyce has shared an abundance of his household photos including the ones from his vacations, festivals, celebrations, and other special occasions on his timeline providing a peek into his family life.
Dru Joyce Net Worth
Dru Joyce has an estimated net worth of $5 million in 2023. Lil Dru has acquired the majority of his earnings from his lengthy basketball career.
Following his high school basketball days at Akron, Joyce applied for the 2007 NBA draft but unfortunately went undrafted. Then he joined the German team, Ratiopharm Ulm in 2007.
After spending two seasons with Ulm, he joined Energa Czarni Slupsk in 2009 to play in the Polish Basketball League. The same year, Dru was traded to Anwil Wloclawek and only spent one year with the team till 2010.
Post two years stint in Poland, he returned back to Germany and joined Gladiators Treves in 2010. He later represented Baskets Oldenburg, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, S.Oliver Würzburg, and Tsmoki-Minsk before joining Bayern Munich in 2017.
After a short stint at Bayern, he made a switch to AS Monaco Basket to play in LNB Pro A. After spending one year each at Monaco and CSP Limoges, Dru joined Science City Jena in 2018 and bid adieu to his professional playing career in 2019.
Most notably, Joyce retired as the all-time leader in assists in the Basketball Bundesliga. Then he ventured into a coaching journey and spent three years on Dennis Gates’ staff at Cleveland Vikings before joining the Duquesne Dukes in 2022.
Thanks to a successful career across Europe, five years of coaching, and a few sponsorship deals, Dru has earned great wealth over the years.
Is LeBron Still Friends With The Fab 5?
Yes, LeBron James is still friends with the Fab 5, which includes Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton, and Willie McGee alongside LeBron himself.
They were recently seen together at the premiere of the movie Shooting Stars and seem to maintain the same bond they had twenty years ago.
The Fab 5 made their name whilst playing high school basketball for the Fighting Irish team. They achieved the phenomenal feat of winning three state titles and established themselves as one of the best high school teams in the United States.
With the growing popularity and hype of LeBron ahead of the 2003 NBA draft, their high school games were televised by ESPN at that time which led to the global recognition of Fab 5 and their iconic companionship.
Prior to Shooting Stars, their friendship was also portrayed in the documentary "More Than A Game" in 2008. It highlighted their earlier basketball days, stories of friendship, and how they have managed to remain together over the years.
Among the Lebron James Fab 5 friends, King James was the only member to make it to the NBA whilst others pursued their careers elsewhere.
However, despite everything LeBron has achieved in his glittering career, he shares the same bond, respect and contact with his old buddies. Time and destiny might have them in different destinations, but one thing is sure, the Fab 5 is still intact!!!
