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LeBron James Makes a Crypto Promise

Last Updated: July 5, 2023
The LeBron James Family Foundation has engaged in a multi-year partnership with Crypto.com focused on the LBJ-founded I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio.

It was only a matter of time before LeBron James entered the crypto space, and he decided to use his first partnership to bolster his many charitable initiatives in his native Akron, Ohio.

The LeBron James Family Foundation agreed to a multi-year deal with Crypto.com — which also serves as the naming sponsor of his home court in Los Angeles — to develop a curriculum for the LeBron-founded I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio where students will learn about cryptocurrency, Web3, and jobs in and around the world of blockchain technology, an industry that will only grow as the students progress throughout their academic careers and beyond.

“It’s been amazing to see how many doors we’ve been able to open for my I PROMISE students and their families through the work we do with our partners and what we’re building with House Three Thirty,” James told the Akron Beacon Journal through a spokesperson. “It’s important to me that we keep opening those doors – especially when it comes to Web3 and our digital future. I’m still learning as everything keeps evolving, and now with Crypto.com, I want to make sure my kids and families are part of that as well.”

This comes just over a month after Crypto.com officially began its naming rights deal for the arena (formerly known as Staples Center) where LBJ hoops for the Lakers that reportedly checked in at more than $700 million. Crypto.com has previously produced NFTs and sponsorship patches for the UFC as part of a 10-year, $175 million pact and signed a jersey sponsorship deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The news comes one day after James was selected as an NBA All-Star Game team captain for the fifth consecutive year. He’ll face off against fellow captain Kevin Durant at the festivities in Cleveland on Feb. 20.

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Shlomo Sprung

Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.