LeBron James returned to Cleveland on Saturday night, defeating his previous team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, with his Los Angeles Lakers.
Nonetheless, the Cavaliers paid honor to the Los Angeles Lakers player, who set the record for most career points in NBA history in February, surpassing Hall of Famer and fellow Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
All love for the King in Cleveland 👑
The @cavs pay tribute to LeBron in his return! pic.twitter.com/LkcyPM2ZNf
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 26, 2023
“It’s very special. To be a kid of Akron, I grew up 30 miles south of here and to be able to be drafted here and spend my first seven years here and then come back for four more years and do some special things that the franchise had never seen,” James said. “When I [was] drafted, I said, I wanted to [light] this place up like Vegas, so I feel I did a decent job of doing that while I was here for my 11 years.”
The sentimental tribute came as James celebrated another milestone: on Saturday, the LeBron James Family Foundation opened the LeBron James museum, dubbed LeBron James’ Home Court, in Akron, Ohio. The museum provides insight into the life and career of the NBA all-star. James led a tour of the exhibition for his Lakers teammates at the museum.
In the heart of James’ hometown, museumgoers will first enter a reproduction of James’ childhood apartment in Akron’s Spring Hill area for an immersive multimedia experience. The chamber will be decorated with mementos from the 20-year NBA veteran’s career.
As viewers progress through the exhibit, iconic jerseys from James’ career, such as his McDonald’s All-American jersey, are on display. This jersey was previously worn by a high school James when he captivated the country’s attention as America’s top talent. Inside is the all-white suit James wore at the 2003 draft, when he was selected first overall by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fans of James will then follow him from his early days with the Cavs to his highly publicized choice to sign with the Miami Heat. Visitors will be able to relive his championship victories in South Beach, Cleveland, and Los Angeles through multimedia and game-worn sneakers and apparel.
Guests will also be guided through James’ off-court community service endeavors. The display will include a chronicle of his foundation’s evolution, beginning with a Bike-A-Thon in 2009 and culminating with the debut of his I PROMISE education program in 2018.
According to the LeBron James Family organization, all ticket earnings will be donated to his organization and dispersed to I PROMISE kids, parents, educators, and family members.