Ohio lawmaker wants LeBron James license plates

An Ohio state representative wants car owners in the state to have the option to have a LeBron James license plate on their vehicle.

State Rep. Bill Patmon, D-Cleveland, plans to introduce legislation to permit the sale of a commemorative “LeBron James Witness 2.0” plate to honor the return of the four-time NBA MVP to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"“When LeBron came home, it was a big deal for us,” Patmon told the Associated Press. “It might not be for the rest of the world, but it’s a big deal for Cleveland.”"

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James, of course, began his NBA career with the Cavaliers in 2003 after being drafted first overall out of Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

But James left Cleveland to sign with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010 (some of you probably heard about this), winning two NBA titles in four years and playing in the NBA Finals each season.

James opted out of his contract and returned to the Cavaliers earlier this month (again, something you may or may not have been aware of).

Specialty plates aren’t uncommon in Ohio, which offers more than 150 of them, including one previously introduced by Patmon that honors Superman.

"“People from all over the country and world called (the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles) office about the Superman license plate,” Patmon said."

But as will be the case should a LeBron plate be authorized for sale in Ohio, purchases would be limited to people registering a vehicle in the state.

According to Lindsay Bohrer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio BMV, the state does not offer any license plates that commemorate a real person, living or dead, and to her knowledge never has done so.

Ohio charges $35 for most specialty plates plus an amount that is donated to charity, such as a plate with a pink ribbon on it generates $25 per sale for the Breast Cancer Fund of Ohio.

Patmon said he would propose the LeBron James Family Foundation be the recipient of any funds raised by a James plate.

The question then becomes would a car bearing a LeBron plate drive straight through, or yield to another vehicle?