Inspiration can come from anywhere. For Frances Tiafoe, inspiration came from many places. His parents struggled to settle in the USA after escaping their country. Their story is a source of strength for the player. Apart from his mother, he also derived his strength from inspiring personalities in the field of basketball. Tiafoe recently talked about how basketball greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s words had a different effect than his parents.

Tiafoe is a massive basketball fan and has talked about his admiration for LeBron James many times. He even played and scored in the 2023 All-Star Celebrity Game, which was held on 17th February.

Sometimes, the words spoken by your idols hit home more than any advice given by your own parents.

Frances Tiafoe on how the speaker changes the effect

During the post-match conference at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters, Tiafoe talked about the basketball icons Stephen Curry and LeBron James. He was asked about the kind of impression he has of basketball.

Tiafoe responded that he loves athleticism and the general culture around basketball.

He elaborated, “I guess I love hoops just because of the athleticism. I guess everything around it, fashion, music, like, everyone just loves hoops. I think bringing people together, bringing cities together.“

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Tiafoe also added that the sport also teaches him the old cliché messages of working hard and making sacrifices. He chuckled while adding that his parents used to tell him about making sacrifices constantly, but when it comes to personalities like Stephen Curry and LeBron James, it has more of an impact.

“It’s funny, your parents tell you the same s**t all the time, but when you hear it from Steph Curry or you hear it from LeBron, it’s a little different. I’m sorry. Sorry, mom. Sorry, dad. It’s a little different hearing it from them. When they tell me that, yeah, I think it’s time to make some sacrifices,” Tiafoe added with a cheeky smile.

Tiafoe reaches the Indian Wells semifinal

In a fantastic show, Frances Tiafoe has reached the semifinal of the Indian Wells Masters for the first time. The American clashed with the British Cameron Norrie and won the match in straight sets. Tiafoe is set to face the Dubai Tennis Championships winner Daniil Medvedev on 18th March in an exciting round.

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Tiafoe has not dropped a set so far in the tour. He faces the current world number 6 and aims to clinch the tournament as his peer, Taylor Fritz did last year.