Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made a couple of notable moves in the offseason but while his decision to relocate to California and leave Cleveland behind may have gotten the most airtime, his charitable contributions to his hometown of Akron, Oh. deserved the most attention.
On Thursday, James received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award for founding a public elementary school for at-risk youth in Akron.
LeBron James has won the offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his work to help create the @IPROMISESchool pic.twitter.com/C1IviuzMaR
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) October 25, 2018
Dubbed the “I Promise School,” a nod to the LeBron James Family Foundation‘s “I Promise” program, James opened the school on July 30th. Students were welcomed into a state-of-the-art building and a chance to meet James when the school opened. In his hometown, James is looked at as a benevolent big brother and the way he's adored in Akron makes you realize he's a rare superstar.
One that's a transcendent talent with a larger-than-life aura but down-to-earth human.
If you follow James on Twitter, you can see the Lakers forward sending out messages of support and encouragement to the kids in his program all the time. That he's genuinely invested in the lives of the children in his community, in no small part due to his ability to understand and relate to their struggles, only adds to the authenticity of his actions.
💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛 https://t.co/5i1s53byHz
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 18, 2018
LeBron James also has plans to expand the school into a secondary school that targets older children that are at-risk as well.
In 2015, James announced that he would partner with the University of Akron to fund a $41 million scholarship for students who complete his “I Promise” program.
Follow Us
Subscribe