The 14-time NBA All-Star has also earned the title of MVP three times in the finals, plus four times in the regular season, which of course has rewarded him with many lucrative sponsorship deals.
LeBron has become one of the richest sportspeople in the world with these multi-million dollar endorsements and many may not know that this includes a stake in top flight English club Liverpool FC. Such an unusual pairing came about as a result of Fenway Sports Group – parent company of the Premier League outfit as well as the Boston Red Sox – who are the global marketer of the superstar’s image rights.
When LeBron visited Liverpool for a match back in 2011, he described it as “one of the best experiences of my life”, adding “to be at Anfield and see 40,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs, the whole game was an unbelievable experience for me.”
While the game of English football itself may have been slightly alien to an American basketball star, LeBron clearly recognised this passion, as it is something he demonstrates in every aspect of his own life. During a game against the Washington Wizards last December, the Cleveland-native debuted a new pair of basketball shoes, ones that he knew would garner fervent attention. One black and one white, the Nike-made LeBron XVs spelled the word “Equality” across the back, a message – deliberately delivered in the nation’s capital – that couldn’t have been clearer.
Stating that “basketball is our vehicle but equality is our mission,” this was just the latest in a line of events in which LeBron used his status to promote positivity and peace. “Us as Americans, no matter the skin color, no matter the race, no matter who you are, we all have to understand having equal rights and being able to stand for something, speak for something and keep the conversation going,” the 33-year-old told the press at the time. “We’re never going to let one person dictate us Americans — how beautiful and how powerful we are as a people.”
That “one person” referred to is of course Donald Trump, prompting criticism from those who support the orange-faced leader. Laura Ingraham – a Republican journalist who holds controversial views on homosexuality and immigration – tried to belittle the athlete by famously telling LeBron to “shut up and dribble.”
Yet the star, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, even turned those derogatory comments into a positive by becoming star and producer of a three-part docuseries on the changing role of athletes in the current political climate. The title? Yes, you’ve guessed it, “Shut Up and Dribble.”
With his personal wealth, fame, status and exceptional athletic ability, LeBron could be content to simply use his voice to try to influence others to do the right thing. However, this is not enough for for a determined man who forged his success from extreme poverty, and the butterfly effect of his latest project could even eclipse his legendary basketball career.
LeBron has worked with the Akron public school board in his native Ohio to open the “I Promise” public school for at risk children, using $8 million from his own foundation to finance the project. Other celebrities have financed private schools in the US, but this one is shaped by the experiences of the superstar’s early years.
He says he missed 83 days of school in the fourth grade, times when life was simply too difficult for his Mum to get him there, as they moved from sofa to sofa with no fixed abode. This is something LeBron has worked to prevent with the 240 children in his new school, as he has funded a bike for every single child, as well as constant mentoring and coaching for students and parents, who will also receive advice on job seeking.
No stone has been left unturned as the school day has been lengthened to 5pm in order that the students minimise time in their often chaotic home lives, and are given a nutritionally balanced breakfast and lunch, plus snacks in order to keep their minds sharp. Hunger, LeBron says, is a major barrier to learning in these deprived areas, and he wants these children to enjoy their educational experience without being subjected to the kind of stress that they really shouldn’t have to encounter at their age.
Messages of hope and positivity have been emblazoned on the walls, and this inspirational athlete wants to instill a mantra of “no limits” into the children, something that has allowed him to move from the most terrible of starts to a life where he just keeps on achieving. There is arguably no better role model than someone who admits he could have been “lost to the system” if it hadn’t been for basketball, and now he has allowed 240 children to do the same, not just for themselves but for their children and grandchildren.
“For someone or a body or parties to try to divide us by using our platform of sport — sport has given me everything I could ever ask for — I couldn’t let that happen,” admitted LeBron to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols at the end of July. “By using my voice and letting the youth know and the people that need the guidance know that I care for them and that I’ll be their voice, it’s passionate for me because, like I said: Sports is just the ultimate to bring people together. That’s what I’m here for.”
So many people in England criticise Premier League footballers for high wages and lavish lifestyles, even though many donate to charity and work with the community. However, perhaps those who are able to do so should take note from the Liverpool FC shareholder, and really use their influence to bring about genuine change for those who deserve a helping hand in life.
As LeBron has proven, only then will those who try to bring them down will have no other weapon than to tell you to “shut up and dribble”, meanwhile the players themselves will know that they have done everything in their power to ensure their legacy extends way beyond sport.
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