Images by Parrish Lewis for Steed Media Service
LeBron Raymone James is at ease on the shores of Lake Michigan. It’s a favorite place for basketball players. Chicago is a breeding ground for street ball legends and celebrated high school phenoms. James was in the Windy City to promote his film, More Than a Game, and the Chi-Town fans showered him with love and pleaded with him to join the Chicago Bulls once he becomes a free agent in 2010. When asked if he would consider signing with the Bulls, James flashed a boyish smile but remained mum about the possibility of bringing his reign to the palace that Jordan built.
For now, James makes his home some 323 miles from Chi-Town in Akron, Ohio — a town noted more for its rubber industry than basketball. A place that is least likely to stake claim to the best basketball player in the world.
But amid failing tire factories, a rampant drug epidemic, a decaying economy and a spike in poverty levels, the basketball whiz kid has become Akron’s singular glimmer of hope and its proudest citizen.
“Akron is home,” James says frankly while lounging at the ultra exclusive Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. “It’s the city that I will represent until I pass away. It was always like an amusement park for me. I [have] a lot of fond memories [of] growing up there, and to still be a part of it feels great.”
Although James has an unyielding devotion to Akron, he experienced trying times there as a youth. Born to a teenage mother and growing up an only child, LeBron and his mom, Gloria James, endured a life of hardships after his grandmother died when he was only 3. Often on the verge of being evicted from their homes or apartments, LeBron and his mother were forced to move 12 times before he was 9 years old. Consequently, he was absent from school for nearly 100 days during his fourth grade school year. But that volatile period prepared James for the uncertainties of life.
“Being part of a single-parent household helped me to adjust to things quicker,” James admits. “With my mother being by herself and a father figure not being there, it made me grow up a lot faster than maybe I wanted to. So that situation helped me to adjust because I was seeing things that [most] kids don’t see at a young age.”
James could have easily succumbed to the vices that entrap so many inner-city youth who come from unstable households — but James was not like most kids. An extremely gifted basketball player at a young age, James could shoot proficiently with both hands by the age of 12 and he was dunking by 14. His skills on the court eventually lead him to explore life outside of Akron. After joining an Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, James got the opportunity to travel to several major cities and garner national media attention before he was old enough to obtain a learner’s permit.
“It felt good to travel all over America to showcase our talent at a young age,” he recalls. “To bring our small city team and go into tournaments against a big city team was huge to us. As kids, we played and loved the game of basketball.”
James’ legend continued to grow and by the time he entered high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary, he had become a teen idol. His face could be seen nightly on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and he even graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. After four illustrious years in high school, the poor kid from Akron was on the road to NBA riches and every basketball guru anticipated his arrival.
Drafted No. 1 out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, it became evident that the guy who was being prepped for superstardom would surpass expectations.
In his first six seasons with the NBA, James provided the fix that fans and league officials needed to adjust to the NBA’s post-Michael Jordan era. More likeable than Kobe Bryant and a lot healthier than Tracy McGrady, James’ charisma and exceptional talent on the court made him the perfect player to market the NBA — domestically and internationally.
Positioned to become the first NBA player to command a billion-dollar enterprise, James works tirelessly to lay down the foundation for a brand that could thrive long after he retires from the NBA. He’s smart enough to know that his athletic talent alone will not take him to the place where he eventually wants to be. While most professional athletes lack the wherewithal to strive for financial dominance outside of sports, James learned early on that his business game had to be as impressive as the one that he plays on the hardwood.
“At 18, I didn’t know that much about the business side of sports,” he admits. “But [after] a few years went by, I began to realize that it’s more than just a basketball game — it’s a business. That’s when I decided to part ways with my agent at the time and I started my own business. I became the CEO of my own company.”
James hired his childhood friends — Randy Mims, Maverick Carter, and Richard Paul — to run his company, LRMR Marketing. Criticized by NBA commissioner David Stern and others for making such a bold move, James ignored his detractors and continues to stand firm in his decision to give three young black males the opportunity to establish wealth. Since 2006, LRMR has formed a partnership with companies such as State Farm, Coca-Cola, Nike, Upper Deck and more recently — Hollywood.
In conjunction with Lionsgate Films, James executive produced his first documentary, More Than a Game. Reminiscent of the critically acclaimed Hoop Dreams, More Than a Game tells the story of James and his longstanding relationship with his friends and current business partners Dru Joyce III, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis. Teammates since grade school, the group of friends remained together and captured the USA Today National High School Championship in 2003.
“Education is very important to me,” James emotes. “You can breeze through grade school, but if you don’t have good grades, college will not be possible. My high school teammates were student-athletes. We made sure our schoolwork was taken care of before playing basketball. The film makes everyone aware of that. I was the only one to make it to the NBA, but all of us got full college scholarships. Dru Joyce III and Romeo Travis are playing professional basketball overseas. Willie McGee is getting a graduate degree at the University of Akron and Sian Cotton is playing college football in Canton [Ohio].
“A sports career does not last forever. I learned early that the game of basketball is the longest shortest career that you will ever have and that you have to do something afterwards. If you’re not educated, you will not go very far.” -amir
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