Political Draft: 25 Athletes Who Need To Run For Office

LeBron James

LeBron James is an NBA small forward who spent most of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in his home state of Ohio. He notoriously played for the Miami Heat from 2010-2014, then returned to Cleveland. They welcomed him with open arms. James was also a member of the United States national team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

LeBron is a busy role model who is focused on protecting the most vulnerable among us, so he is active with the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Children’s Defense Fund and ONEXONE. The latter supports children around the world in must needed areas of water, health, education, play and nutrition.

Then there’s the LeBron James Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. It’s based in his hometown of Akron. JLFam has two core programs: Wheels for Education and the Akron I PROMISE Network (AIPN).

Wheels for Education helps elementary school-aged kids get all the support they need to succeed, like laptops school uniform shirts and winter hats. It cheers them on with encouragement and incentives, so they will remain excited about staying in school.

The Akron I PROMISE Network is for middle and high school-aged kids. Its goals are the same as those of Wheels, but the approach is tailored to that age group. LeBron wants them to know that when the going gets tough, they should turn to their friends and families for support, and never give up the hope of a bright future.

James is a shoe-in for political office in the swing state of Ohio. At the very least, he should run for Mayor of Akron. We need good people at all levels.