Lebron James's I Promise School Aims to Help Akron, Ohio Students

LeBron James is giving back to his community in a major way. As he prepares to hit the court as a Los Angeles Laker, the NBA superstar has opened up school to aid and uplift struggling students in Akron, Ohio.

“We are going to be that groundbreaking school that will be a nationally recognized model for urban and public school excellence,” shares Brandi Davis, principal of LeBron James’ new I Promise school “We are letting people know it is about true wrap-around support, true family integration and true compassion.”

The I Promise school is a collaboration between the City of Akron, Akron Public Schools and the LeBron James Family Foundation. The concept behind the school has been put together for a few years now, and its name was born out of the foundation’s desire to help ”students who promise to go to school, do their homework, listen to teachers, ask questions and find answers, be respectful of others and live a healthy life.”

“Looking at reading data, we identified students who were a year, two years behind in reading,” explains Keith Liechty, Akron Public Schools’ liaison to the LeBron James Family Foundation. “From that, we had more than 120 kids. We had to put a cap on it so we could fit under one roof. We did a random selection of all students who met that criteria.”

“Every one of these kids, maybe they don’t become LeBron James on the basketball court, but they become the LeBron James of their passion and dream in life,” says Michele Campbell, the LeBron James Family Foundation’s executive director. “We’re coming to them at a time when people came to LeBron and Gloria and wrapped around them and believed in them before he was this great basketball player.”

The I Promise school opened up this Monday, and LeBron James — along with members of his foundation — and several public officials from the City of Akron and its public school system were on hand for the opening. You can check out a list of what the school is offering — for free — below.

Earlier this month, LeBron James’s agent revealed how his free agency decision was made.