The human side of LeBron James: how he transformed an Ohio city and the lives of thousands of people | Other Sports | sports

At this point in the film we are not going to discover the dimension of LeBron James (37 years) as an athlete. The Los Angeles Lakers player is already part of basketball history thanks to his four champion rings and his personal records, which are at the height of a select few.

Nor is it any news that he is one of the most influential people in the world thanks, among other things, to his enormous wealth and the management he has done of it, diversifying his investments and betting on a huge variety of businesses: Beats, Blaze Pizza, Liverpool FC, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, SpringHill Company o Lobos 1707 Tequila, are some of the clubs and companies in which it has shares or which it directly owns.

And yet, despite his sporting achievements and his good business sense, there is a facet of his life that does not grab so many headlines and that is perhaps much more decisive when it comes to assessing what his legacy will be and his true dimension as being. human. Because the NBA legend has decided to change the lives of thousands of people and that is simply priceless, publishes daily AS from Spain.

Akron drama

Lebron James is from Akron (Ohio) and it so happens that it is one of the poorest cities in the United States. While the average index of The country’s poverty stands at 10%, in his hometown that percentage shoots up to 25% So in the eyes of the player there was only one possible solution to combat that problem: education.

Reality shows that education remains the single biggest contributor to people’s success, wealth and prosperity anywhere in the world. But children who grow up in poor neighborhoods are significantly less likely to receive such an education. Poverty leads to a lower enrollment rate, higher school failure, and reduces the chances of attaining a higher degree.

And that’s where Lebron James comes in to change the rules of the game. In 2011, the player launched the ‘I Promise’ campaign. The concept was simple: identify Akron’s kids at risk of not graduating high school and give them the guidance they need to get there and get to college. But it was not just a concept.

Seven years after starting the program, LeBron opened I Promise School. So instead of identifying children at risk and helping them from a distance, the institution could welcome them, guide them and increase their chances of success. And all this for free: from uniforms to food and transportation.

Now, 10 years after the campaign was launched, the school’s first class has graduated. And the best part is that 193 students have been able to enroll, also free, for the University of Akron or Kent State University, both in Ohio. A possibility that the more than 1,500 students will also benefit from that the school currently has. And those who will come after.

And if all this were not enough, Lebron James continues to increase the infrastructures associated with the school with residences, sports complexes and even a building in which the parents themselves receive professional training and financial education.

Lebron’s dream

But the real achievement behind this program is the free tuition from the University of Akron. It removes the biggest obstacle to graduating from high school – the inability to pay for higher education – and it also increases the likelihood that educated people will stay in Akron. Something that will transform its inhabitants and the city itself.

In a world where immediate results are often sought, Lebron James has decided to bet on the long term. By investing in his hometown institution, the player will help thousands of children go to college and change the fate of future generations. And that will be his greatest achievement. His true legacy. (D)