Fansided

Lebron James sending 1100 kids to college on his dime

By Kyle Franzoni

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) talks to the media after game six of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) talks to the media after game six of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James is footing the bill to send more than a thousand high school kids to college.

The sporting public likes to ride hard on Lebron James and give the Cleveland Cavaliers forward as much flack as humanly possible. From ill-conceived signing announcements to flashing one’s genitalia on live television during the NBA Finals, James has certainly supplied some of the fuel for the fire. However, we forget something very important when it comes to Lebron James.

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He’s not nearly as bad as we make him out to be. While we like to rip athletes down from the pedestals we put them on, there are occasions when that player’s good deeds

Case in point, James appeared on The Today Show earlier on Friday and discussed a number of items, including his take on who would win a one-on-one match-up between himself and Michael Jordan. However, King James also surprised many when he discussed the generosity of the Lebron James Family Foundation and the nearly 1,100 kids it will put through college in the coming years.

"“At this rate, we’ve got 1,100 kids in our program, and if I can put 1,100 kids into college free, that means I’ll have done something, (and) the University of Akron, JPMorgan and Chase and my foundation have done something great to give back.”"

Given the struggles that some kids have in getting to college, this is a tremendous effort from someone who obviously feels the need to give back to the community. With the United States falling behind in educational standards compared to many other growing countries, having an avenue to provide an education free of charge to a worthy recipient can make a big change in that child’s life and in the community as a whole.

Sure, it holds these kids to the University of Akron, but it also sets them up for a life of success. Given Lebron James’ $22.97 million in salary on the court and his countless millions made through endorsement deals, the expected $47 million bill is a relatively small investment in the future of America.

So while it can sometimes be easy to lambaste Lebron James from behind our keyboards for some of the things he does and says in the public, it is only appropriate that we also pay him credit where credit is due. And Lebron James certainly deserves credit here.

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