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lebron james riding bike
The King likes bikes

Bicycle advocacy can be challenging at times, but stories like this make it easier to connect with the next generation of bike riders.

Arguably the biggest sporting star on the planet, Lebron James – aka The King – loves bikes.

This has been well documented over the years, with Lebron being captured “riding to work” back in 2012, the year he won his first NBA championship for the Miami Heat. Work, in this instance, being a nationally televised basketball game against top seed Chicago Bulls. Lebron went on to score a game high 35 points.

This was not uncommon for Lebron, who claims he regularly rode to Heat home games to help keep in shape during his championship, Finals and season MVP winning year.

James also participated in Critical Mass group bike rides alongside future hall of famers Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony.

So when Lebron opened up his famous I Promise School for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron Ohio in 2018, its no surprise that each student got a free bicycle.

“A bicycle, for me, was the only way to get around the city. If I wanted to meet some of my friends, travel across the city, go to school, play basketball — anything — the bicycle was the way I got around,” James said at the time.

“It was a way of life. If you had a bike, it was a way to kind of let go and be free.”

In addition to a bike, each student at Lebron’s institution gets access to a free education, an on-site food bank for their family and a scholarship to the University of Akron upon high-school graduation if certain criteria are met. 

Despite any grudges held from his moves from Cleveland to Miami to Los Angeles (via Cleveland again) – Lebron’s positive contributions both on and off the court are undeniable.

You could say his greatness all started on the bike!

And if you stand on the other side of the greatest of all-time debate, here’s a pic of Michael Jordan riding his bicycle from the much anticipated documentary series debut earlier this week.