LeBron James donating $1 million to to renovate gym

[Hilltopper]

Unfortunately, not the JAR.

[LZIp]

Doesnt surprise me. And people wonder why I have a problem with them drooling over Lebron and "all he does for UA".

[mbalsinger]

This is why I was so mad about the Lebron James bobblehead give away. We glorify him becaaaaaaaaaaaause why?

[Sean]

Why are you all upset about him renovating the Gym he actually played in over the gym of the local college. Just as a reminder we did the LeBron Bobble Head night for the Lebron Family Foundation ( At least thats what I think the charity was). Plus it put butts in seats.

[zipdiehard]

Great gesture by Lebron. That is a significant donation to a place that means a great deal to him.

I can't believe some of you are bashing him.

[UAZip0510]

Great gesture by Lebron. That is a significant donation to a place that means a great deal to him.

I can't believe some of you are bashing him.

Nobody is bashing him. The donation is wonderful for St. V and a great gesture by LBJ. The frustrating part is we keep hearing about how much LeBron helps UA with very limited evidence of that actually happening.

[infofan]

Interesting tweet by Zachary Jackson from Fox ohio today. He said he was short on time so couldn't elaborate but " that's not the last BB arena built in akron that's going to have his initials and swooshes all over it". That's @FSOhioZJackson on twitter. Well see if he has more on this in days to come.

[GoZips]

Nobody is bashing him. The donation is wonderful for St. V and a great gesture by LBJ. The frustrating part is we keep hearing about how much LeBron helps UA with very limited evidence of that actually happening.

LBJ...? Lyndon Bains Johnson ... what does he have to do with Akron?

Seriously, LeBron does quite a bit for the University of Akron. Most of this is not ballyhooed. Shoes, uniforms, gifts and

not least of all, LeBron spends a part of his summer playing hoops with Zips players and "coaching" them. He is also

behind the scenes an ambassador in recruiting. Being good friends with Keith Dambrot LeBron has affection for the Zips.

Even if LeBron never donates any money for a new arena he has still done far more for Zips basketball than most of us

ever could. Yes, I am pro-LeBron because I an pro-Zips. Be glad that LeBron saw fit to help his alma mater. It is a great

and generous gift.

[pat]

Good for him and good for St. Vincent/St. Mary. And, please put no more lipstick on that turd known as the JAR!

[Dr Z]

It is a great and generous gift.

Don't forget the most important part of the plan, the excellent publicity that he is receiving. A nice step to help rebuild his image after his (advisers) ESPiN PR nightmare announcement.

Hopefully Zips fans can benefit from this in the future.

Dru is in charge of the project.

[Jalapeño Zippy]

Love LeBron. He has always been a wonderful supporter of the Akron community. His Bike-a-thon, the turkey give-a-ways, the uniform deal basketball has with Nike among many other things...James holds this area in high regard. Congratulations LBJ on making this wonderful gift to St. V. and thank you for your continuous effort in making Akron better for all who enjoy the great things it has to offer.

[legendofzippy]

Great gesture by Lebron. That is a significant donation to a place that means a great deal to him.

I can't believe some of you are bashing him.

Agree 100%. He had an MVP award in our gym, he works out there, he constantly gives support to Coach Dambrot, and now he's giving a million bucks to his high school. Plus, this quote:

"I'm from Akron and The University of Akron is my hometown school,” LeBron James said. “Because of my ties to the Akron community, the University and Coach Keith Dambrot, it is important to me that UA is designated as a Nike/LeBron James School. I want to be sure that Coach Dambrot's guys look great head to toe."

And yet there are still people saying "not good enough". Unbelievable.

[Blue & Gold]

Good for him and good for St. Vincent/St. Mary. And, please put no more lipstick on that turd known as the JAR!

I agree. My heart actually sank a little when I first saw the title of this thread thinking the money was going to a JAR renovation.

[Hilltopper]

The part of the story I find interesting is the fact that the existing floor isn't regulation sized.

Built in 1958 and opened Feb. 16, 1959, the old gym cost $270,000, the equivalent of $2.16 million today. Its court measured 84 feet by 50 feet, not the 94 by 50 size being constructed now

[skip-zip]

Agree 100%. He had an MVP award in our gym, he works out there, he constantly gives support to Coach Dambrot, and now he's giving a million bucks to his high school. Plus, this quote:

"I'm from Akron and The University of Akron is my hometown school,” LeBron James said. “Because of my ties to the Akron community, the University and Coach Keith Dambrot, it is important to me that UA is designated as a Nike/LeBron James School. I want to be sure that Coach Dambrot's guys look great head to toe."

And yet there are still people saying "not good enough". Unbelievable.

I couldn't have said it better myself. And others have mentioned some of the other things he does for the community of Akron as a whole.

I'm stunned at the number of people on this board who don't understand the impact he has on the city, the U, and our basketball team. Even if he didn't give a single dime, the greatest basketball player on the planet talks and tweets about U of A athletics. Even that alone carries more value than any amount of money we could ever afford to put into buying PR ourselves.

[UAZip0510]

Can anyone name me a recruit he helped bring in? Just looking for one name.

Or tell me why he only helps "behind the scenes" here but openly helps OSU and Kentucky recruit?

Does his association to UA help? Absolutely. It's the impact he brings to our program that is completely overblown.

[Dave in Green]

All I care about is that Coach Dambrot has publicly stated on many occasions that LeBron has helped the Zips in many different ways. As far as whether or not a specific recruit selected UA over another school because of the LeBron connection, that would be up to one of the Zips' recruits to make public. Nyles Evans has made it public knowledge that LeBron is his favorite pro athlete. You'd have to ask him if that made a difference in choosing UA over Middle Tennessee and other teams that were recruiting him.

[skip-zip]

Can anyone name me a recruit he helped bring in? Just looking for one name.

Keith has said publicly that it has helped him in the recruiting wars on many occasions. Are you saying that you are going to dispute that? Do you go on our recruiting trips?

[pat]

Keith has said publicly that it has helped him in the recruiting wars on many occasions. Are you saying that you are going to dispute that? Do you go on our recruiting trips?

I have to admit, the question of whether he openly recruits for Akron as he does trendy colleges remains. KD's stealth posture aside, I'd like to see a public acknowledgment of who L.J. specifically recruited for The University of Akron. It's an honest question and doesn't discount the good he does for the city. Also, glad to see that he no longer refers to our university as "Akron U". He apparently has a good editor. I recall his reference to the Gulf Coast as "the Gulf Stream".

[ZachTheZip]

[skip-zip]

And it's being reported that he is about the get awarded his 4th MVP award tomorrow.

This easily puts him among the Top 5 or so people who have ever picked up a basketball, and he has strong ties to our program. That also makes him an unimaginable asset to Keith. Does anyone care to put a dollar value on that?

Even if he doesn't physically go on recruiting trips, does anyone really believe that his ties to the program aren't known by the kids we recruit? You'd have to be a true LeBron Basher to believe otherwise. EVERY kid we've recruited since Keith has been here is obviously aware of this. And if they weren't told by a member of our staff (highly doubtful), they get continually reminded anyway, unless they've never watched a TV.

[zippyman23]

I have to admit, the question of whether he openly recruits for Akron as he does trendy colleges remains. KD's stealth posture aside, I'd like to see a public acknowledgment of who L.J. specifically recruited for The University of Akron. It's an honest question and doesn't discount the good he does for the city.

Would public acknowledgement be worth the recruiting violations that would be sure to follow?

[UAZip0510]

And it's being reported that he is about the get awarded his 4th MVP award tomorrow.

This easily puts him among the Top 5 or so people who have ever picked up a basketball, and he has strong ties to our program. That also makes him an unimaginable asset to Keith. Does anyone care to put a dollar value on that?

Even if he doesn't physically go on recruiting trips, does anyone really believe that his ties to the program aren't known by the kids we recruit? You'd have to be a true LeBron Basher to believe otherwise. EVERY kid we've recruited since Keith has been here is obviously aware of this. And if they weren't told by a member of our staff (highly doubtful), they get continually reminded anyway, unless they've never watched a TV.

Sure, they know LeBron.

Every kid is also aware of Akron's 8 straight 20+ win seasons, 7 straight MAC Final appearances, and NCAA Tournament bids in 3 of the last 5 years.

Maybe Momma Zeke can correct me if I'm wrong, but Zeke came here because of his connection the coaches. Demetrius Treadwell and Nick Harney came here because of the coaches. Alex Abreu and Carmelo Betancourt = coaches.

I'm not a LeBron basher. Like I said, he doesn't hurt, that's for sure. Anything helps.

What I am is a person tired of the incredible job our coaches do in finding talented winners and recruiting them to come here being attributed to a connection LeBron has to UA.

Sure, KD says LeBron helps a lot with recruiting- he absolutely loves LeBron...he's going to say those things. I'm still waiting for a name though.

[UAZip0510]

I'll repost this:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat...lp-pick-college

“I’m a top 5 player in the country in class of 2013. Where should I go to college Mr. James?” Walker asked James on Twitter. “If LeBron hits me back and tells me where he thinks I should go, I’d do it,” Walker told ESPN’s Jason Jordan in an interview this week. “In my opinion, he’s the best player in the league and I really look up to him. Plus, he’s the King. Gotta listen to the King, right?” 

When James heard about the request he offered some advice, and a few school suggestions. "The advice I would give Chris Walker is to follow his heart and go where he believes he can help the program and they can give him a great education,” James told ESPN.com. “Of course Ohio State and Kentucky are my two favorite programs for many reasons. They have great basketball programs, great coaches, players and are two of the best colleges in America. But with that said, Chris you will know where you want to go when the time comes. I'm looking forward to seeing you make the decision and take your talents to that program and shine.”

[pat]

Sure, they know LeBron.

Every kid is also aware of Akron's 8 straight 20+ win seasons, 7 straight MAC Final appearances, and NCAA Tournament bids in 3 of the last 5 years.

Maybe Momma Zeke can correct me if I'm wrong, but Zeke came here because of his connection the coaches. Demetrius Treadwell and Nick Harney came here because of the coaches. Alex Abreu and Carmelo Betancourt = coaches.

I'm not a LeBron basher. Like I said, he doesn't hurt, that's for sure. Anything helps.

What I am is a person tired of the incredible job our coaches do in finding talented winners and recruiting them to come here being attributed to a connection LeBron has to UA.

Sure, KD says LeBron helps a lot with recruiting- he absolutely loves LeBron...he's going to say those things. I'm still waiting for a name though.

I think any connection between LJ and UA is mostly in the imaginative minds of a few. There is no real connection there. Some just want there to be.