LeBron James I Promise School

Basketball legend LeBron James stepped up his game once again with the launch of a public elementary school he co-founded. The all-star athlete has always sent the message of how important education is and expressed how proud he is to open the I Promise School.

James opened up about his struggle in the fourth grade when he began to skip class and his life could have taken a wrong turn. Giving back to his hometown community has been something he wanted to do to thank those who guided him in the right direction. The celebrity has won three NBA Championships and earned three MVP titles in his career so far.

The school is fully funded by the LeBron James Family Foundation and the Akron, Ohio, public school system and is decorated with 114 pairs of the legend’s basketball shoes worn on game days.

The first class to attend the I Promise School will consist of 240 third- and fourth-grade students. The children were selected based on educational performance and socioeconomic status. The school district identified students performing a year or more behind what they should be and then selected 120 of those children for each grade. Students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average will be able to earn free college tuition at the University of Akron upon completion of the program.