LeBron James’ inspiring speech at Ohio State University goes viral as he discusses his contributions to the community

LeBron James’ inspiring speech at Ohio State University goes viral as he discusses his contributions to the community

Beaton, an associate professor at Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs, invites grassroots organizers, nonprofit founders, policy analysts and others in the advocacy world to speak with her students about the practical side of that work.

While all of the guests are accomplished and respected in their fields, this week’s guests was perhaps more recognizable than most: NBA legend and Akron native LeBron James.

James joined the class via Zoom from Los Angeles to discuss his approach to activism and community building.

“You like my hat? I got the right colors on this morning,” James said, pointing out his red snapback and gray Nike shirt.

Beaton introduced Wednesday’s class by reminding her two dozen students about the idea of power, the theme for that week’s class and how power can be a catalyst and barrier to social change. James, Beaton said, is “a particularly powerful guest” and an example of how athletes can rewrite the script for philanthropy.

James has long been involved with activism. From his early days with the Cleveland Cavaliers giving away free bikes to Akron-area kids at an annual bike-a-thon to opening his signature I Promise School in 2018, James said giving back was always a high priority regardless of where his career took him.

The I Promise School operates within the Akron Public Schools district and is open to at-risk students in third through eighth grade. Several administrators and five students from James’ I Promise Program also attended Wednesday’s class. I Promise students attended a class in Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs, spoke with students and took a tour of campus.

James has previously said that opening the I Promise School is among his greatest accomplishments. He told Ohio State students that one of the keys to lasting and meaningful social change is actually talking with the people you’re trying to help about their needs.

Growing up in Akron as the only child of a single mother, James said he moved around a lot as a kid as his mom struggled to find stable work, sometimes missing dozens of school days a year. He attended multiple public elementary and middle schools before attending the private Catholic high school, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School.

“I understood the landscape and mindset of public schools,” James said. “I had a pulse for what these kids go through… I’ve walked every street the kids at my school walk.”

public schools,” James said. “I had a pulse for what these kids go through… I’ve walked every street the kids at my school walk.”

 

The school is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation and helps students with uniforms, career placement services, provides bikes and helmets, and transportation. But the school goes beyond just helping students. It also offers services to students’ families like providing food, health and legal services, GEDs and job placement for parents.

James has been described as an “activist athlete,” among the likes of boxer Muhammad Ali, NFL legend and civil rights leader Jim Brown and fellow NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James said he’s taken the blueprint those athletes before him started and made it his own.

James told students having a community you’re involved with is just as important as having a community you want to serve. If he’s passionate about a new idea, he always bounces his thoughts off his family and lifelong friends first to get their perspective.

“That’s what a team is all about,” he said.

Several students also had the opportunity to ask James questions related to his advocacy work and their class projects, which includes selecting an issues they are passionate about and creating an “advocacy portfolio” about it.

Lucy Scott, a junior studying business leadership and marketing, asked James about the role and responsibility of professional men’s sports leagues to support women’s sports. As a student athlete on Ohio State’s rowing team, Scott is studying the gender pay gap in professional sports.

James said he believes it is his responsibility to use his platform as a way to shine a light on teams and athletes that might not get that exposure otherwise. He’s been supportive of the exponential growth of the WNBA in recent years and praised his longtime friend, WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who announced her retirement this week.

“We supported the WNBA, but more importantly, they supported themselves,” he said.

More exposure means greater viewership, James said, and viewership equals money, James said.

Kendall Ahern, a graduate student studying public policy and management, told James that, as a fellow Akronite, she personally benefitted from his early advocacy when she received a bike during one of his bike-a-thons in 2009. Ahern asked how James thinks about one day passing the torch.

James told Ahern to look to her left at the students from his I Promise Program. Investing in those students, he said, means investing in generational change. He wants to see people take the model he’s used in Akron and apply it to their communities.

He also told Ahern that she too is part of that legacy.

“It started in 2009,” he said, “And now you’re at Ohio State and you still have this passion. You still have that leadership that you saw 15, 16 years ago. It’s living through you. That’s what we hope for.”