Lebron James: The King on and off the Court

By, Bob

Credit: Aaron Josefczyk | Reuters

"The peoples champ must be everything the people can't be" - Chance The Rapper

When i think of these lyrics from Chances newest album "The Coloring Book", I cannot help think but of the champ himself Lebron James. Not only is he a once in a lifetime athlete who has been the greatest basketball player for the last decade, but he is a model citizen who a lot of athletes and people in general should take a note from. Lebron is everything people strive to be in their lives: athletic, wealthy, successful, the list really can go on and on. However on the low, the most respectable trait the Lebron possesses is his generosity.

Lebron did the impossible during the 2016 finals, he put his team on his back, down 3-1 with almost all hope lost and beat the Golden Boys with easily the most impressive basketball i have ever watched live. After his historic performance, Lebron announced he would be signing back with the Cavaliers on a rightfully deserved 3-year $100M deal. After bringing back a title after about a 50 year drought and getting a huge payday, you would think Lebron would take that money he earned and go and have a lit summer similar to his boy J.R Smith. That is what separates Lebron from regular athletes though, because the headlines about him over the summer have not been about the exotic places he has traveled to, but for the good deeds he is doing.

The night of the ESPY's was his first and quite possibly his biggest push to make a difference in our country. Alongside his best friends Dwade, Me7o, and CP3 the future NBA hall-of-famers spoke out to a torn country over the police brutality controversy and about the importance of being leaders in such a dark time. The words they spoke were influential to say the least, and could be deemed as a sign of hope by having such caring men trying to change the world. James didn't stop after this, through his "I Promise" program the superstar sent 1,100 kids with similar backgrounds he had growing up to The University of Akron all on 4 year scholarships that equaled out to $41 Million Dollars. $41, Million, Dollars. The average athlete would not go out of their way to perform such a saintly act but hey, Lebron is not your average athlete. His summer of kindness did not stop there though, as today it was reported today that he would be sending 5,000 kids and their families to Cedar Point which is an amusement park in Cleveland. If that does not sound like the coolest guy ever, maybe i just don't know what the definition of cool is. Regardless, the "I Promise" initiative Lebron has started is something other athletes should start doing. With the massive paydays this summer and even bigger ones coming in the near future, it would make the world such a better place if the money these athletes spent were on positive life changing programs similar to the one Lebron has made. I am not saying other athletes don't give back to the community, but i doubt any of them can say they put over 1000 kids through college or went down a water slide with any of their fans. Lebron James goes above and beyond the normal, he has being doing it since day one and that folks is why he is the great one.