LeBron James will say goodbye again to his home, but this time he will leave behind something that he himself assures is more valuable than any of his NBA championships.
LeBron James, who ended his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers this month by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, founded a public school for students with academic challenges in his hometown on Monday.
The NBA star admitted to feeling "nervous" before the inauguration, an event that, he claimed, "is going to be one of the best moments, if not the best, of my life."
The "I Promise" School will initially serve 240 students in third and fourth grades. The school in Akron will grow each year, adding second and fifth grades next year, and by 2022 it will have students from first to eighth grades.
It was expected that LeBron James would be at the school on Monday to welcome the children and make his first public statements since deciding to join the Lakers.
LeBron James spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers, winning a title in 2016 that ended Cleveland's 52-year drought without a championship in a professional sports league. His departure ends a four-season stay with the Cavaliers after his return in 2014 following four years with the Miami Heat.
After his second consecutive NBA Finals appearance, James declared that he was still in "championship mode" while heading into free agency. However, he is heading to a Lakers team that once again missed the playoffs last season and appears to be years away from competing for a title in a tough Western Conference.
Source: AP