Category: LeBron James Family Foundation

LeBron James Family Foundation announces new ‘House Three Thirty’ community center

As part of his continued investment in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, LeBron James is helping redevelop an iconic space for his community.

In his continued investment back into his community of Akron, Ohio, the LeBron James Family Foundation, the organization behind initiatives like the I Promise school, On Tuesday, the LJFF announced their latest initiative in helping revitalize the Akron community, by turning one of its landmark restaurants into a community center for I Promise families.

The LJFF announced on Tuesday they’d purchased the old Tangier Restaurant building, which was once one of the biggest restaurants in the nation. They were famous not only for their food but also for having legendary acts come through their doors, such as James Brown, Tina Turner, and Fats Domino. The Tangier will now be used for a variety of purposes including recreation, job training, and retail spaces, with the help of a variety of LeBron’s partners in the I Promise community.

Below is a breakdown, from the LeBron James Family Foundation, of what to expect in House Three Thirty by 2022.

  • Financial Health with JPMorgan Chase –A dedicated space where Chase bankers can offer specialized financial advice and products to help more families get on a path to financial health.

  • Sports Complex from The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation – The top level of the venue’s parking structure will be converted into a sports complex for physical activities and other year-round indoor/outdoor events for the I PROMISE School, I PROMISE families, and the whole community.

  • Fast Casual Dining with Old El Paso – Old El Paso will help build out at a full-service, fast casual dining space that will bring families together and serve quick meal options, provide space for family-led programming, and help I PROMISE family members get hands-on job training.

  • J.M. Smucker HomeTown Hall –Providing an indoor dining space for large gatherings, the venue’s J.M. Smucker HomeTown Hall will host family meals and community conversations.

Other planned amenities include retail space, a coffee bar, lounge, private card room, ice cream parlor, cabaret and other resources that provide unique experiences for the community and additional job-training opportunities for I PROMISE families.

LeBron’s investment in the city of Akron begins with education but he’s also trying to help empower the families of the students to make sure the entire family has opportunities for growth and success.

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LeBron James named ‘Game Changer of the Year’ in People’s Choice Awards

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was named the ‘Game Changer of the Year’ by E’s People’s Choice Awards.

While the Los Angeles Lakers have already made moves to improve their team in the early days since the NBA lifted the trade moratorium, LeBron James himself has won yet another award that recognizes both his greatness as an athlete but also his influence in the political, social, educational and entertainment spheres.

On Tuesday, E! announced that LeBron James is the winner of the 2020 People’s Choice Awards ‘Game Changer Award.’ In addition to winning the NBA championship and founding a non-profit focused on making it easier for Black citizens to vote, James also saw the formation of The SpringHill Company, which included an investment of $100 million.

LeBron has been focused on being the best basketball player he can be while also trying to change the status quo on what’s expected of athletes. There should be no doubt that he is doing so, becoming a business mogul while still being at the top of his chose profession.

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Michael Vick one of the Florida voters helped by ‘More Than A Vote’

One of the many initiatives that have drawn more attention due to ‘More Than A Vote’ is ex-felons getting their voting rights restored.

Among the many laws and initiatives that the ‘More Than A Vote’ coalition started by LeBron James and Maverick Carter have drawn more attention to since they started it earlier this year, was a Florida law that prevents ex-felons from having the right to vote unless they go through an established protocol and pay a fine to the state. It was a law passed in 2018 called Amendment 4.

From a ‘More Than A Vote’ release back in July.

In 2018, the people of Florida overwhelmingly voted to approve the Amendment 4 ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to restore the voting rights of most citizens with past felony convictions. However, the state legislature responded by passing a law requiring returning citizens to pay off outstanding fees, fines, and restitution associated with their convictions prior to being eligible to vote.

Now ‘More Than A Vote’ is featuring their work with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, with arguably their most high-profile case, former NFL star Michael Vick. ‘More Than A Vote’ released the first episode of a web series tracking Vick and his path to getting his voting rights restored.

James is thrilled to be able to have Vick as a part of the group.

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Lakers, LeBron James announce Staples Center will be 2020 voting center

LeBron James shared his excitement that his homecourt will be a center for voting in the 2020 election in November.

Perhaps the most actionable thing that came out of the NBA’s brief work stoppage inside the bubble was a commitment from the league that they would try to get all of their teams to commit to using their currently empty arenas as potential voting sites. This has been a central goal of the “More Than A Vote” nonprofit started by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, which has been supported by other athletes and entertainers.

With the NBA announcing their hopes just yesterday, the Lakers announced just before their Game 5 against the Blazers that the Staples Center will also be a voting center for the 2020 election. LeBron shared the team’s message with much excitement less than 90 minutes before the Lakers take the court to close out the Portland Trail Blazers, up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series.

Education was the first way in which LeBron James tried to affect social change, but over the past few months, fighting voter suppression and making sure Black people have greater access to democracy has become another important aspect of his social justice goals.

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LeBron’s ‘I Promise’ children’s book debuts at No. 1 on New York Times best seller

The Los Angeles Lakers star released his first Children’s book last week and it is already a New York Times bestseller.

While LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers are getting back on the court tonight in the NBA Bubble, looking to even their best-of-seven series against the Portland Trail Blazers, James accomplished another first off the court.

Last week, LeBron James released his first-ever children’s book “I Promise,” which was done in collaboration with illustrator Nina Mata. And after one week on the shelves, or at least the virtual shelves, LeBron has himself a New York Times bestseller. On Thursday, the Times released their latest bestseller list for Children’s books, where LeBron’s “I Promise” was the No. 1 selling book in the country.

James has been published before, but this book was his first foray into the space of children’s books. James has another book in the works that will focus on speaking to middle-aged children, so this book is just the start of a new aspect of LeBron’s still growing influence off the court.

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LeBron James Family Foundation students part of Lakers virtual crowd

Ambassadors from the LeBron James Family Foundation were a part of the virtual crowd in Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma City.

This summer is unlike any other and usually, right around now, LeBron James and the LeBron James Family Foundation would be planning on their usual family reunion. But even in the middle of the pandemic, LeBron James found a special way to give a treat to the student ambassadors of the LeBron James Family Foundation and also students of the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio.

In Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, student ambassadors, and students who are part of the I Promise community were included in the virtual crowd for what was considered a Lakers home game.

The Lakers have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference after their win on Monday against the Utah Jazz, but they still have an opportunity to get better and a special crowd who deserves a great performance as well The Lakers should be in a tough game, as Oklahoma City is poised to make the postseason.

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First families close to move-in at I PROMISE Village near Akron school

The LeBron James Family Foundation showed moments of families moving into the temporary housing created by the I PROMISE school.

As the I PROMISE public school in Akron, Ohio continues to expand its programs and reach throughout the community for families in need, outside of the school day. One of the ways in which the IPS is helping families outside of the classroom is through providing transitional housing for families who are currently houseless or in distressing living situations. The families are expected to move in shortly and the LeBron James Family Foundation showed photos earlier this week of people bringing beds into the facility, which is being created in partnership with Graduate Hotels.

Graduate Hotels specializes in creating hotels near college campuses, so being in charge of a living situation near a school is right in their wheelhouse.

“Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we’ve found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive – if they are hungry, if they have no heat in the freezing winter, if they live in fear for their safety,” said LeBron James back in November when the initiative was announced. “We want this place to be their home where they feel safe, supported, and loved, knowing we are right there with them every step of the way as they get back on their feet.”

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Lakers Restart Refresh: Quinn Cook, shooter in case of emergency

Quinn Cook probably won’t get minutes consistently for the Lakers, but he can definitely shoot if they need him to.

With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history. 

Quinn Cook

If the Lakers have their way, the majority of Quinn Cook’s contributions to their championship run will probably considerably less than what he was asked to do as a member of the Golden State Warriors over the past few years. What Cook is, however, is a shooter in case of an emergency.

One of the biggest reasons that Cook has found a way to stick in the league after a few years in the G League out of college is that he’s a career 41% 3-point shooter over his career. But the Lakers have plenty of guard depth ahead of him, especially considering he’s more of an undersized shooting guard than he is a true point guard. With the recent additions of J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters, as well as rotation stalwart Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and fan-favorite defensive specialist Alex Caruso.

Also, while Cook has been a great shooter in the regular season over his career, his playoff performance has been a little less reliable. Over the course of two playoff runs as a member of the Golden State Warriors, he shot only 27.7%. Even more concerning for his outlook as a playoff performer is that over the course of two postseasons, it hasn’t been a case of teams taking away an effective shot. In fact, his 3-point rate in two postseasons is higher than his career 3-point rate.

NBA history suggests that the Lakers will likely have to rely on everyone for at least one moment in the playoffs. In the middle of a pandemic and with everyone coming off a four-month layoff, he will almost certainly be asked to fill in. But if the Lakers are to have the season they wish to have, they are likely hoping the moments they will ask Cook to deliver are few and far between. Their moves to add other guards indicate as much, but it’s pretty good to have someone with championship experience as your emergency guard.

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LeBron James helping put on ‘Graduate Together’ for 2020 Class

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is putting on a graduation event for students nationwide amidst the coronavirus.

Perhaps more than basketball itself, the biggest passion in the life of LeBron James is probably education. School is often one of the metaphors that LeBron reaches for when he wants to make a comparison and it was a time in his life, especially in high school, that he associates with some great times in his life. He wants to make sure that other kids who are graduating in a bizarre situation in 2020 have something that makes them feel special under the circumstances.

LeBron James announced via his social channels on Wednesday that his LeBron James Family Foundation would be teaming up with the education company XQ to provide a “Graduate Together” event that will air on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC on Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m.

The Class of 2020 won’t have the opportunity for a traditional graduation ceremony with a walk alongside their classmates, sharing a final moment with their teachers before they move on to their next life. Also, they will not have the moment to celebrate the accomplishment that it is in the way that classes before them had. Although it won’t be the same, LeBron is working to make sure the Class of 2020 has its moment.

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‘I Promise’ school in Akron to be featured in new documentary series

The story of the school started by the Los Angeles Lakers star in his hometown of Akron, Ohio will air on the streaming platform Quibi.

Although the school has been profiled by media outlets of all kinds, rarely has there been the amount of access to the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, started by LeBron James in 2018, as there is in an upcoming documentary series about the school, their students and their methods.

Quibi and SpringHill Entertainment announced a new production on Monday entitled “I PROMISE,” which will feature incredible access to the school, its students, staff, and of course, LeBron James, who is also an executive producer on the production. The documentary is being directed by Marc Levin, who created movies such as “Brick City,” and “Chicagoland.” They also released a trailer.

As you can see in the trailer, the “I PROMISE” documentary will follow the school in their first year as they try to help kids from poor backgrounds in the city of Akron get through school and eventually to college. The program began with 3rd and 4th graders because James wanted to make an impact on the lives of children as early as possible.

The school has also implemented emotional education, as they prioritize helping kids deal with trauma as well as the educational growth of their students.

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