LeBron James

Lebron James In GameKeith Allison from Baltimore, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]Woosh. Woosh. Woosh. LeBron James is not just an all-star high school basketball player, he is a driving force to help kids living in poverty and to make people's lives better. LeBron James has many important people in his life, but he especially cares for his mother, Gloria James (“LeBron James”). After he passed high school, he went straight to the NBA and joined the Cleveland Cavaliers (Abdul-Alim). This led him to an important time in his life, which was when he was drafted into the NBA, and his career spiraled upward. An important place in LeBron's life is his hometown, Akron Ohio (Garcia). LeBron James is not just a great basketball player, he is selfless, humble, and an inspiration. To be a hero, one must have many traits, including humbleness and selflessness. James has been through many hardships in his life, but instead of keeping his hard earned money, he gives it to children who need the money as much as he did growing up.

The LeBron James Foundation helps kids get a better education, by giving money to children in poverty, and making it easier for them to get into college: “While his penchant to live a modest life is debatable, one thing for certain is that James knows how to share and donate money where it matters” (Garcia). Given this quote, we gain an understanding that LeBron works hard to help others. Instead of other millionaires and billionaires who use their money to help themselves, LeBron James is different because he donates money to children's schools, which gives them a better opportunity to learn and become better students. This shows that James has a good trait, which is selflessness. LeBron’s foundation helped his hometown, Akron Ohio: “...the LeBron James Family Foundation announced last year that it would be supporting as many as 2,300 kids from his hometown of Akron, Ohio, with four-year scholarships to the University of Akron” (Abdul-Alim). Throughout LeBron James’s career, he has made millions of dollars. His foundation is giving millions of dollars to the less fortunate, giving kids the option to go to college and have a chance at a successful career. This reveals that LeBron is willing to help others and is not afraid to use his money for the greater good. LeBron James is not just a great basketball player, he is also a hero because he selflessly inspires people. This is because he works hard and gives kid a chance to do something they wouldn't be able to do without the donations from his foundation.  

Throughout LeBron’s career, he has never boasted about his long lists of accomplishments. James is proud of who he is, and is always humble. When LeBron James was being interviewed before his rookie season in the NBA, he told Sports Illustrated: "I don't want to be a cocky rookie coming in trying to lead right off the bat" (“LeBron James”). LeBron James was an all-star basketball player and worked hard to get there. Although he does very well in basketball, he makes sure he does not get ahead of himself. As a result of him saying this, we can understand that he was trying to take it easy and be humble. After LeBron had successfully beat Michael Jordan’s shooting record, he said: “For my name to come up in the discussion with the greatest basketball player of all time, it’s like, wow" (Lloyd 285). After game 5 in the NBA Championships, LeBron James beat one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan, in the all-time postseason scoring leader. Instead of LeBron acting as if he was better than Jordan, he remained modest. He did not show off or brag about it. He was shocked that he was being compared to one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Throughout James’s successful career, he still remains humble and thankful for the people who have helped him.

LeBron James's career will be remembered as one of the all time greats in basketball history, but he will also be remembered as being inspirational, selfless, and humble. LeBron James has always worked hard in his career. Throughout his career, he has founded a charity that helps kids get a better education, and has paid for children's college tuition. The LeBron James Foundation is giving hundreds of thousands of dollars away to children in LeBron’s hometown. This money was given to children so that they can go to a good college; because of this, he made sure the children had to do things in order to be eligible to get this tuition: "'The importance of community service as part of the scholarship criteria really comes from LeBron James himself, because he has shared with the kids that nothing is given--everything is earned,' Clark said. "'So part of the 'earned' is that students would be giving back to the community'" (Abdul-Alim). Thanks to LeBron James’s rules, he inspired kids to work hard both in school and outside of school, and to give back to their community. James’s humbleness, selflessness, and his ability to be an inspiration to all inspired me to write about him. He is willing to help others and is respectful to everyone. Even though LeBron James will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the NBA, he will also be remembered as one of the most generous and caring people in the world.

Abdul-Alim, Jamaal. "Will LeBron James' assist actually get disadvantaged youth through college?" Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 14 July 2016, p. 6+. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A459356094/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=c11989e4.

Garcia, Arturo. “Here's Why LeBron James Might Be the Most Generous NBA Star Today.” Born2Invest, 13 Dec. 2017, born2invest.com/articles/lebron-james-generous-nba-star-today/.

"LeBron James." Newsmakers, vol. 3, Gale, 2007. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618004527/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=bf296718.

Lloyd, Jason. The Blueprint: Lebron James, Cleveland's Deliverance, and the Making of the Modern NBA. Dutton, 2017.