According to Epic’s private dining director, Amber Johnson-Garrett, the relationship goes back to James’ second run with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2016 NBA Finals against the Warriors. Johnson-Garrett, a major sports fan and former KPIX news and sports producer, went to high school with LeBron’s personal trainer, David “Dave” Alexander. An introduction was made, and Johnson-Garrett built on the restaurant’s already long-standing relationship with the NBA to throw a dinner party June 12, 2016, between Game 4 and Game 5. The day after eating at Epic, the Cavs won big in San Francisco.

“King James definitely enjoyed his rib-eye,” Johnson-Garrett told SFGATE. “He was absolutely gracious and very nice. I got the feeling that they were eating their celebratory dinner even though the series wasn’t over yet. We just kept opening bottles of Nickel & Nickel cabernet. They were loving that.”

And it’s not just the Lakers. When the Toronto Raptors defeated the Warriors in the 2019 Finals — the Canadian team’s only championship victory ever — they held their celebration dinner in the 60-seat-capacity private dining room at Epic. According to general manager Brian Walsh, they celebrated into the wee hours, with Larry Tanenbaum tickling the keys of a grand piano.

(Courtesy of Epic Steak)
(Courtesy of Epic Steak)

“That was fun, trying to get a grand piano into the building for them,” Walsh told SFGATE. “The players were exhausted because it was Game 6 and they came straight from the game, but they were on a high. They’re exceptionally nice people. Marc Gasol is the biggest human I’ve ever met.”

The Sacramento Kings are equally enamored with Epic Steak. Head coach and 2023 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown has been a regular at Epic Steak and sister restaurant Waterbar for years, Johnson-Garrett said. April 21, he hosted a dinner for his coaches, where they feasted on lamb lollipops and 9-ounce filet mignon steaks slathered in Bordelaise sauce. Both Johnson-Garrett and pastry chef Erica Land wanted to do something special to recognize Brown for being the first unanimous Coach of the Year in NBA history. But when she reached out to the Kings’ spokesperson, Johnson-Garrett was told that the always-humble Brown was not one for the spotlight. Ultimately, Land prepared a giant Oreo-style cookie filled with vanilla buttercream — tinted a Kings purple, of course.

“It was really sweet to see him receive it,” Johnson-Garrett said. “He said, ‘Aren’t you guys going to get in the picture with me?’ He was touched. And to see the looks on all of his comrades’ faces was amazing.” 

The former Warriors assistant coach also makes regular appearances at Kokkari, the Financial District restaurant known for elegant Greek fare. According to Kokkari’s managing partner, Paul Kirby, Brown has been one of the restaurant’s biggest supporters over the years. But it didn’t start with Brown. Kokkari’s reputation among NBA coaches, players and TV broadcasters can be traced back to another legendary coach: Gregg Popovich.

It’s no secret that the all-time winningest coach in NBA history has a penchant for good wine. Popovich, who has been bench boss of the Spurs since 1996, is an investor in an Oregon winery and even built a wine cellar next to his San Antonio home to store his wine collection.

As for food, Popovich has great taste as well. Over the years, the Spurs coach has been a frequent admirer of Kokkari, which is often mentioned as one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants.

Just like with his coaching tree, which includes multiple current NBA head coaches such as Mike Budenholzer and Quin Snyder, Popovich has shared his food wisdom with his disciples as much as he has shared his basketball knowledge. Pop’s Kokkari recommendation permeates through NBA circles as much as his motion offense.

“Gregg Popovich was coming in fairly frequently back in the day, many years ago,” Kirby said. “There were about a half dozen coaches from [his coaching tree] around the league that were in the same group and communicating with each other. Then that kind of spread out to a lot of these guys, who ended up having meetings and dinners with agents and various members of the media.”

Just last year, the Boston Celtics enjoyed a pregame meal at Kokkari, which is at 200 Jackson St., before Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals. 

Kirby said that the restaurant often has last-minute requests from visiting teams hoping to dine late at night after a game at Chase Center. The restaurant also often delivers catering orders to visiting locker rooms for postgame meals.

(Devynne H., Stephanie L. and Paige D. via Yelp)
(Devynne H., Stephanie L. and Paige D. via Yelp)

When entire teams come in, which can be up to 70 people including staff, trainers and other personnel, the menu stays on the simple side, with the kitchen preparing high-protein dishes like grilled whole fish, roasted chicken and rib-eye steaks with sides of vegetables. But Kokkari can host smaller groups, too, like when ESPN’s Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Mark Jones all ate there recently after calling Game 7 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Kings.

As for Warriors players, they don’t often eat as a team in their hometown. 

“I would hope they eat at home,” Kirby said, laughing. But he did say that Steph Curry often eats at Evvia Estiatorio, Kokkari’s sister restaurant in Palo Alto.