Lebron’s new Ohio legacy: School for challenged kids
AKRON, Ohio — Lebron James stood on a stage near one of the streets he walked as a troubled kid and looked out at thousands of faces.
Before leaving for Los Angeles, James gave his hometown quite a gift.
While his 3-year-old daughter, Zhuri, played at his feet, James watched as his mother, Gloria, raised a flag in front of a school that is perhaps his greatest triumph.
James, who ended his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers this month by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, on Monday opened his I Promise School, a year-round learning center devoted to some of the city’s most challenged youngsters.
For James, who recalled missing 82 days of school as a fourth-grader while he and his mom “looked for stability,” the opening culminated years of planning by his family foundation.
“I think this is the greatest accomplishment for me because it’s not just me,” he said. “A championship is for a team, that’s for an organization and a city. But these kids, this is for generation after generation after generation and it’s for these kids, so it means everything.”
James also made his first comments since signing the $154 million deal with the Lakers.
The 33-year-old superstar said leaving Cleveland again was difficult, but he didn’t rule out a second homecoming.
“Listen, I don’t close the chapter on anything or close the book on anything,” James said when asked if he would return to end his career. “But hopefully I can sit there one day and watch my jersey go up into the rafters, that’s for sure.”
James didn’t offer many details about what prompted him to sign with the Lakers, but the lure of playing for one of the most successful franchises in sports was intriguing.
“There’s no reason you should become a Laker, became a Yankee, become part of Man U (Manchester United), become part of some franchise or clubs and you don’t think about winning championships or winning at the highest level,” James said. “That’s what the history is all about.”
This move takes him thousands of miles from home. That said, “No matter if I’m playing in Los Angeles or not, Akron, Ohio, is always home for me,” he told the crowd.