23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps does not exactly have any ties to the
basketball programs in this year’s men’s Final Four, but he was called in to give a pregame speech for one squad, anyway. Phelps spoke to the
Alabama basketball team on the eve of their Final Four matchup against Connecticut. The speech came at the request of Michael Schwimer, the founder of Big League Advantage. I sent @MichaelPhelps a text to see if he wanted to talk to Alabama basketball. Within a day he gave an incredible speech to the squad before the biggest game of their lives. Forever grateful to this wonderful man!!! pic.twitter.com/QEciotQdog — Michael Schwimer (@mschwimer) April 6, 2024 How did Alabama get Phelps? It is a long story, but Schwimer is at the center of it. He is the head of an analytics firm that has been working with Alabama and was profiled by CBS Sports this week as the program’s “secret weapon.” Through his position, Schwimer has ties to a number of athletes, including Phelps, as both are investors in English soccer club Leeds United . Phelps lives in the Phoenix area and with the Final Four in town, it was apparently quite simple for him to stop by and address the Crimson Tide. Alabama faces a very tough test in UConn on Saturday. They now have both Phelps and Nick Saban on their side, though, which is a pretty solid combination. This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.