LeBron James will receive an honorary Ohio State degree this week.
When the Ohio State Board of Trustees meets on Wednesday, it will vote to award an honorary degree to James. He will receive a Doctor of Public Service degree for not just his Hall of Fame basketball career, but his impact off the court in his hometown of Akron and communities across the United States.
“Born in Akron, Ohio, LeBron Raymone James Sr. is a professional basketball player with a dedication to community engagement and improving the lives of children and families through education, opportunities, and community resources,” notes from the Board of Trustees meeting read. “Just as he’s elevated the game of basketball, LeBron has redefined philanthropy to create a revolutionary model for community building in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.”
News that Ohio State would award James the degree came in February when James spent an afternoon with Ohio State's Public Affairs 5120 class — also known as "Social Change Advocacy: Organization, Mobilization and Activism" — to discuss his passion for bettering Akron through community work and philanthropy.
“I knew I always wanted to give back to my community,” James told the students, per Franny Lazarus of Ohio State News. “We took a deep dive into what we actually needed to do to create societal change. Being around families, being around the kids, listening to our community, they let us know and gave us the spearhead on what’s needed. It was our job to listen, implement and apply things that were needed to create that societal change.”
James believes that utilizing his platform has been crucial in seeing those changes occur.
“I have too much of a platform and too many resources to not give back in order to create a change that’s long-term,” he said.
After answering questions from students, James encouraged the class to use their platform for the betterment of others.
“It starts with you guys, at your age or even younger. You guys are the future,” James said. “You guys have big outreach and you guys are at The Ohio State University, one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. You guys are highly respected. People see that (Ohio State) badge. They see that name. People respect that.”
In addition to his community impact, James has long been one of Ohio State’s most frequent athletics donors, as the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs have been gifted Beats headphones and customized cleats and shoes from James. He also holds an honorary locker in the men’s basketball locker room, and Value City Arena has a wall of James’ shoes that have been given to the men's and women's programs over the years.
