LeBron James charitable efforts around his hometown of Akron and surrounding Ohio areas continues to take tremendous leaps forward. One of his main focuses centers around education and allowing students, no matter the age in some cases, to advance their education and become better people.
Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama and ESPN’s Michael Wilbon took the stage alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers star at the Univeristy of Akron to encourage young people to continue on their quest towards higher education.
Following is from the AP courtesy of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk.
“If we can be here,” the first lady said as she addressed a crowd of school kids and their parents, “we know you can be here, too.”
The NBA’s biggest star, James appeared with Obama at an event to celebrate the importance of education and to challenge thousands of children in the LeBron James Family Foundation programs to finish college.
After the crowd of approximately 2,500 watched videos explaining the importance of a earning a college degree, James and Obama took the stage together inside the University of Akron’s Rhodes Arena, a venue where the four-time league MVP played many times while in high school.
Obama pointed out to the children and their parents that she and James were from humble beginnings.
“We don’t come from places where families had a lot of money or a lot of resources,” she said.
Obama then turned toward James, who wore a blue T-shirt with “We Are Family” – one of his foundation’s slogans – on the front and reminded the kids that he was once one of them.
“LeBron is investing so much in you guys because he knows that you’re worth it,” she said.
