Via Jessica Golden of CNBC
LeBron James is teaming up with Upper Deck, to sell his game-worn sneakers online. It’s part of an effort to raise money for the I Promise School, a public elementary school in Akron, Ohio.
A single shoe costs between $15,000 and $30,000 on Upper Deck’s site where there are currently 97 shoes available to buy. 114 shoes were made available when the initiative first launched two years ago, but now people can buy the remaining sneakers online. Each purchase includes a certificate of authenticity and a personalized donor plaque.
The matching shoe in each pair will be added to a “wall of shoes” in the lobby of the school.
James’ foundation said 100% of the proceeds from the sale will go to support various initiatives at the school, including “year-round access to the school’s family resource center, community food pantry, unemployment services, legal aid, medical and mental health support, and a GED program for parents.”
“This is about more than just getting kids to school. This is about keeping them alive,” Michele Campbell, Executive Director of the LeBron James Family Foundation, said in a press release.
“We’re seeing families struggling every day with very real and often unexpected issues that turn their worlds upside down. It’s our mission to listen and learn about those needs and respond with real, meaningful resources that set their entire families up for success. This work is a commitment for a life time, and we know we can’t do it alone.”
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson supported the initiative in 2018 with a $30,000 winning bid on a Nike Zoom Lebron Soldier 11 shoes that James wore in the 2017 Finals.
Watson said the shoe has special meaning to him since he witnessed the game in which James tied Magic Johnson for the most triple doubles in Finals history.
“We can see the positive change that LeBron is creating in his hometown, and I am happy to support such an important initiative that continues to impact countless lives in the community,” Watson said in a press release.
The 3x NBA Champion been long been an advocate for education in his hometown. After growing up with a single mother in Akron, Ohio, James credits his community for helping his succeed and has pledged to give back. In 2018, he started the I Promise School that has serves more than 1,500 Akron area students by providing them with programs, support and mentors “they need to succeed in school and beyond.”
