With the opening of the LeBron James Family Foundation I Promise School, basketball's biggest superstar went a long way to cement his legacy beyond the sport.
The school will begin with a third and fourth grade class this year that includes 240 at-risk children, and plans to expand to educate close to 1,000 students in grades first through eighth by 2022. In addition to their grade school education, students will also receive free uniforms, free meals, a bicycle and a helmet, as well as guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron.
Speaking with Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal, James explained why he felt it was important that bicycles were also included for every student at his new school, noting the freedom that his bike allowed him as a child.
"Everything I do comes from my childhood, from my growing up, and what I feel was part of my success," James said.
He continued, as Gay writes:
A bicycle, for me, was the only way to get around the city. If I wanted to meet some of my friends, travel across the city, go to school, play basketball—anything—the bicycle was the way I got around.
LeBron James
But that was just part of it. A bicycle also represented freedom, James said.
Me and my friends, when we got on our bikes, we would just ride," he recalled. "Sometimes we would even get lost, because we'd be gone for so long. But there was a sense of joy and comfort. There was nothing that really could stop us. We felt like we were on top of the world.
LeBron James
James had already gone above and beyond for his community in building the school and ensuring kids had a place to learn, but by giving them each a bicycle as well, it's clear he wants his impact to go further than simply the class curriculum.
