LeBron James (R) talks with Anthony Davis as Davis is introduced as a new player of the Los Angeles Lakers during a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California, U.S., July 13, 2019. /VCG Photo
NBA superstar LeBron James on Wednesday dedicated a basketball court at the school he founded for underprivileged children in his hometown in Akron, Ohio.
Joined by his close friends and former teammates from nearby St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James helped unveil a multicolored outdoor court at the I Promise School, which was founded in 2018 under the auspices of the LeBron James Family Foundation to support the youth in his childhood community.
"This is a basketball court, and we see basketball hoops, but it teaches you so much more than just basketball," James said.
"(It helps) to be able to create a brotherhood or sisterhood and create things that will last forever. A lot of people say things you do in high school you'll forget. Well, we created a friendship 25 years ago, and we're still firm and strong. This is our way of giving it back to you guys - paying it forward."
The school has just started its second academic year and now serves more than 300 students from grades three to five.
James has spent more than one million U.S. dollars on various upgrades for the school.
Along with his high school buddies, James played with the kids in a quick game, and the four-time MVP dunked to break in one of the hoops.
The 34-year-old will soon begin his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He missed the playoffs last season, failing to make the NBA Finals for the first time in nine years.
LeBron James addresses a crowd of students, parents, local officials and sponsors at the grand opening of the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, July 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
James has a busy schedule this summer. He has a starring role in "Space Jam 2," the sequel to "Space Jam" (1996), a live-action and animated sports comedy film.
Starring Michael Jordan, "Space Jam" depicts the basketball legend leading the Warner Bros-created Looney Tunes team to win a match against a group of aliens.
The long-anticipated new "Space Jam" film features James and director/producer Ryan Coogler, who is best known for directing "Black Panther," a Marvel blockbuster featuring a primarily black cast and a black superhero.
"The 'Space Jam' collaboration is so much more than just me and the Looney Tunes getting together and doing this movie," James said. "It's so much bigger. I'd just love for kids to understand how empowered they can feel and how empowered they can be if they don't just give up on their dreams."
"I loved his vision," James told The Hollywood Reporter of Coogler. "So, for Ryan to be able to bring that to kids, it's amazing."
In September, SpringHill Entertainment, James and business partner Maverick Carter's company, announced the "Space Jam" news by tweeting a cartoon image of a locker room with lockers for James, Bugs Bunny, Coogler and Terence Nance, who was scheduled to direct the film then.
Nance left the project on July 16, 2019, because he and "the studio/producers had different takes on the creative vision for 'Space Jam 2.'"
Director Malcolm D. Lee replaced him.
"Space Jam 2" is filming in Hollywood this summer and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the U.S. in 2021.
(With input from AP and Reuters)