A museum will open in LeBron James’ honor in 2023 in the superstar’s hometown of Akron, Ohio, according to the Akron Beacon Journal’s Craig Webb.
“‘Just a Kid from Akron’ is about to get his own museum in his hometown,” Webb wrote.
“The LeBron James museum will be part of the transformation of the former Tangier entertainment complex in Akron, which is being completely reshaped and rebranded into the House Three Thirty.
“The museum will occupy much of the basement of House Three Thirty, which also will be home to restaurants, bars and retail space when it opens next year.”
James, who is one of the most storied players in NBA history, began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He left the franchise to play for the Miami Heat, but he eventually returned to give the Cavs four straight NBA Finals appearances and a title in 2016.
Now, the future Hall of Famer will be immortalized in his hometown.
There are several exhibits that will be dedicated to James, according to Webb.
“The first exhibit space will feature his humble early years growing up in Akron’s Springhill Apartments,” Webb wrote.
James, who rose to prominence at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, will also have an exhibit dedicated to his high school career. Of course, he was drafted No. 1 overall to the Cavaliers out of high school.
“The next exhibit space will focus on how he honed his basketball skills, winning accolades and championships at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and forging friendships that have lasted a lifetime,” Webb wrote.
James has been amazing at every stop of his basketball journey, and the next exhibit in the museum will be dedicated to his NBA career. The four-time NBA champion has already etched his name in the history books, and he’s still playing at an insanely high level this season.
“This all leads up to the big show — his NBA career,” Webb wrote.
“From the Cavaliers to the Heat back to the Cavaliers to the [Los Angeles] Lakers, this large exhibit space will take in his professional basketball career, which includes four NBA championships and two gold medals in the Olympics.”
For the Lakers in the 2021-22 campaign, James is averaging 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.
As great as he’s been on the floor throughout his career, James has also been a business mogul and philanthropist during his time as a professional athlete.
“The next exhibit space will take a look at his off-the-court business ventures, such as a pizza business and various entertainment endeavors that include TV shows like ‘The Wall’ and his movies like the recent reboot of ‘Space Jam,’” Webb wrote.
The final hallway will be a special one.
“The final hallway is a bit personal for James and Akron,” Webb wrote.
“Before visitors exit the museum, they will walk the path of his LeBron James Family Foundation, which started out with a goal to give Akron third graders a bike and a helmet.
“Those efforts grew to include mentoring and tutoring with a goal to achieve a high school diploma and college scholarships and the opening of the I Promise School in partnership with Akron Public Schools.
“Now there’s housing for I Promise families being developed and the ongoing transformation of House Three Thirty as a resource for his students and greater Akron community to learn job skills.”
It is amazing to see that James’ legacy will be honored in such a way, as he is one of the greatest and most influential athletes of his generation. During All-Star Weekend, James showed a ton of love to Cleveland and the Cavaliers, and it’s only fitting that his legacy will be honored in Akron.
The 18-time All-Star is looking to add to his legacy this season by leading the Lakers to the postseason as he chases the fifth NBA title of his career.
