by Daniel Johnson
November 26, 2023
LeBron James credited his mother, Gloria James’ penchant for saving all of his memorabilia.
LeBron James has never forgotten where he came from as he ascended to basketball superstardom from Akron, Ohio, and now there will be a museum full of the things and memories he carried with him. According to the Associated Press, the opening of James’ museum on Nov. 25, LeBron James’ Home Court coincided with a game his Los Angeles Lakers played against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ahead of the game, according to ESPN, James was celebrated by his former franchise for breaking the NBA All-Time scoring record formerly held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James credited his mother, Gloria James’ penchant for saving what is now an impressive collection of sports memorabilia, telling reporters after the game, “I used to get on my mom a lot about saving everything since I was like starting first playing sports,” James said. “And she kind of threw it back in my face…because a lot of the [items] in there is because of the stuff that she saved. And that’s pretty cool.”
The museum opened on the morning of James’ Nov. 25 game against the Cavs, and as ESPN reported, James reflected on the place where his NBA career blossomed. James addressed the media following the game, saying, “It’s just special,” James said. “It’s very special to be a kid from Akron. I grew up 30 miles south of here (Cleveland) and to be able to be drafted here and spend my first seven years here and do some special things that the franchise had never seen. And when I was drafted, I said I wanted to light this place up like Vegas. So I feel like I did a decent job of doing that when I was here for my 11 years.”
Tickets for general admission to the museum are priced at $23, and the proceeds will go towards a training fund set up for students, parents, and educators at James’ I Promise School which is located in Akron. James’ mother curated the collection and it features artifacts like the 2003 baggy all-white suit he wore on draft day and game-worn shoes from a few of his biggest games.
James, a player and a person who is always in pursuit of the next thing, was finally able to slow down, at least for a day and contemplate his achievements, telling ESPN, “I think it’s pretty cool that I’ve been able to do some things in my life to be able to bring back to my community, continue to highlight my community and give my community a place where people want to visit, want to see and want to be proud of it,” James said. “And I am. I’m definitely proud of the fact that my foundation has been able to do some great things, and this is just one of the things that we can all be proud of, for sure, in my hometown.”
