You may remember an incident back in February where Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham defended President Trump by rudely responding to LeBron James.
“You’re great players, but no one voted for you,” Ingraham said. “Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, shut up and dribble.”
Well, James is definitely not shutting up, and he’s doing more than dribbling. He is standing up and making a difference in his community.
James tweeted, “The jitters before the first day of school are real right now!!! Tomorrow is going to be one of the greatest moments (if not the greatest) of my life when we open the #IPROMISE School. This skinny kid from Akron who missed 83 days of school in the 4th grade had big dreams.”
On Monday, July 30, the NBA All-star LeBron James opened his I Promise School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, to 240 at-risk third- and fourth-graders. The students were randomly selected from a pool of Akron children whose reading levels were below average. Although the I Promise School is a non-charter public school, it’s one unlike any other in the district. Through the one-of-a-kind school, James is offering students:
- Free tuition
- Free uniforms
- Free bicycle and helmets
- Free transportation within two miles
- Free breakfast
- Food pantry for families
- GEDs and job placement services for parents
- Guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron for all students who graduate
The school also will provide “wraparound” services to help parents and students who are struggling. James told the Los Angeles Times he can connect with these students in ways that no one can imagine.
“I walked the same streets. I rode the same bikes on the streets that they ride on. I went through the same emotions — the good, the bad, the adversity,” he said. “Everything these kids are going through — the drugs, the violence, the guns, everything they’re going through as kids — I know.”
The plan for enrollment is set to expand to 1,000 students in grades 1 through 8 by 2022.
As much as James is appreciated as one of the greatest basketball players on the court, his foundation and the I Promise School will be his lasting legacy.
