Earlier this week, LeBron James made headlines once again, except this time it wasn’t for a playoff buzzer-beater, a new signature shoe release, or any show time business involving his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers. This time, surprisingly enough, was even more unprecedented: it was because he launched his very own ‘I PROMISE School’, which the 4x MVP, 3x Champ, 14x All Star claims is his greatest achievement yet.
The story behind LeBron’s I PROMISE School is quite remarkable. He founded it in the heart of Akron, OH to provide an extraordinary, educational experience for 240 low-income, at-risk children who grew up in the same, underprivileged conditions he did as a kid.
LeBron grew up under a single mother, moved at least 10 times between ages 5 & 8 years old, and missed 83 days of school one year in grade school. His exceptionally poor beginnings set the groundwork for his exceptionally philanthropic, generous mission to serve the underprivileged of his community.
The ‘I PROMISE School’ sits upon a generous $8.1M investment over the next 5 years. It’s decked out with the state of the art facilities. It boasts of ‘support circles’ to enhance students’ social-emotional well-being, STEM-camps to provide well-rounded education, access to fitness trainers, and more. In fact, each student receives a number of unique privileges upon enrollment:
- Free tuition
- Free uniforms
- Free bicycle and helmet
- Free transportation within 2 miles
- Free breakfast, lunch, and snacks
- Food pantry for families
- GEDs and job placement services for parents
- Guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron for every student who graduates
The media and millions of others this week have praised LeBron for his generosity and benevolence—for not merely being a leader on the court, but more importantly in society.
LeBron has never been shy about using his basketball platform for social activism. Many of his Instagram and Twitter posts brandish the common hash tags, #BiggerThanBasketball and #MoreThanAnAthlete, expressing that while basketball is his job, it’s not his mission. Even though he’s considered the greatest basketball player on earth right now, basketball is his avenue for accomplishing something more than championship rings or lucrative endorsement deals; namely, improving the lives of the less fortunate. Earlier this year, for example, a news reporter told LeBron he should “shut up and dribble”, essentially saying that he should just stick to basketball and shouldn’t speak up about the pressing social and political issues of the day as an ‘uninformed’ athlete. This admonition to stay silent, of course, LeBron gladly refused.
Society loves LeBron; that’s not an understatement. Millions beam with admiration for the billionaire who leverages his platform for others who don’t have a voice, and who lavishly spends his money to bless those who can’t help themselves. Media sings in unison, “Wow, this is a true King.”
This is a King society longs for, cherishes, and glories. We desire for the powerful to serve and not exploit. We desire for the rich to give and not withhold. We desire for the strong to help the weak, not hurt them. And in King James, we receive that. It’s not just a wishful thinking or fanciful hoping. It’s not Disney. This time, it’s real. And it’s beautiful.
The person and work of King James resonates in our hearts, pulling the heartstrings of our loves, values, and meaning. We naturally glorify this type of King. And perhaps that’s because it reminds our hearts—deep, deep down—of the true, eternally good King we were made for.
True Kings Exude Empathy
One reason why LeBron’s I PROMISE School evokes so much emotion is because he literally lived the life of the Akron, underprivileged child he seeks to bless. Instead of forsaking his troubled background when riches came—which would not be atypical—he willingly stuck around, choosing to identify with their suffering.
LeBron even mentioned, “I know exactly what these 240 kids are going through… because I’ve been there. They’re the reason why this school is here today.” He isn’t ashamed or embarrassed by his background; in fact, his experience is precisely the grounds for how and why he is so aptly positioned to help the underprivileged kids of Akron, OH. If he hadn’t walked in their shoes, he wouldn’t have the heart for them that he does now, and he wouldn’t know how to provide them with what they need most. His suffering back then has uniquely equipped him to serve, lead, and bless those who are suffering now.
LeBron’s humble beginnings have also kept him humble, too. For example, he doesn’t perceive himself as ‘King James’ or even ‘LeBron James’ as far as his brand goes; instead, he frequently refers to himself as ‘the kid from Akron’—even though he’s a 33-year-old billionaire. Olympian. Showtime. Nike Athlete. He’s larger than life. But the fact that he willingly enters into the normal, real, disadvantaged lives of others makes his King-ness so much more astonishing.
240 underprivileged kids get one heck of a king at their I PROMISE School. They’re incredibly lucky. But we should pause before we count them too lucky. This is because we too, in our own lives—every single one of us—are offered a king like this, and much, much more in Jesus Christ.
See, Christianity boasts of a savior and king who, like LeBron, did not keep his space from the lowly, marginalized, and destitute. Jesus, God the Son, left the security of his heavenly home and incarnated into our earthly situation, unashamed and unembarrassed to identify with his suffering, fallen creation whom he loved.
Jesus arrived on earth not in a pristine palace, but in a humble, animal manager. His ministry began not in a chariot pulled by stallions, but on a back of a donkey. He quickly identified with the social outcasts, such as the lepers and beggars; he befriended the religious outcasts, such as the prostitutes and tax collectors; and he gave constant care to the powerless, such as women and children. He didn’t save by wielding a sword in power, but by bearing a cross in shame. As the Apostle Paul says, “[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man” (Philippians 2:5-7).
Like LeBron—who primarily identifies himself as ‘the kid from Akron’ and not ‘King James’—Jesus did not refer to himself as the ‘Son of God who’s come to rule and reign’, but rather, “Son of Man who’s come to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
Like LeBron, who gives lavishly to the underprivileged, so also does Jesus: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (1 Corinthians 8:9).
Like LeBron, who uses his platform to be a voice for those who aren’t heard, so also does Jesus: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Like LeBron, who fulfilled many promises to Akron, OH, of which his I PROMISE school is the culmination, so also does Jesus: “For all the promises of God find their ‘Yes!’ in Jesus Christ. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
King James is deserving of love and glory for the same reasons that King Jesus is, except Jesus is deserving of infinitely more.
While King James is certainly larger than life, he gives us a glimpse of the true King—the God-man who didn’t merely close the gap between social and economic groups, but closed the greater divide between God and man as well. By becoming like us and coming to us in our unique contexts of sin and suffering, this King can relate to us and empathize with us in all of our struggles (Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
This is a King worth following and loving. Mohammad can’t do this. Buddha didn’t do this. Confucius couldn’t do this. Jesus is the only God we can relate to because He first related to and empathized with us.
True Kings lead and save through empathy. This is the King we love and long for and praise intuitively. King James reminded us of that this week. He was a ray of sunlight—one of warmth and light—but more importantly, he’s a reminder of the source, whose name is Jesus Christ.
