LeBron James launches his Little Tikes hoop with Ellen DeGeneres, says playoffs will be 'so fun'
CLEVELAND, Ohio – LeBron James formally launched his line of Little Tikes basketball hoops Tuesday night and joined the Ellen Show to celebrate.
In an appearance that will air on Ellen DeGeneres' popular daily talk show Wednesday, James surprised dozens of children from the LeBron James Family Foundation who were gathered to celebrate the Dream Big Basketball Set, which is now available in stores and on line through Toys 'R Us.
Some proceeds from the sales of the James-sponsored hoop will go to his foundation, which primarily serves as a mentoring program for Akron children at risk of dropping out of school. The program now includes a scholarship, provided by the University of Akron, to attend school there after graduation from an Akron Public high school.
James' partnership with Little Tikes was first announced in February.
"No matter where I go in life, the places I see, I always come back here because these kids walk the same streets that I did when I was a kid," James says on the Ellen Show, which you can see here. "They breathe the same air as I did when I was a kid, so I feel like it's a responsibility for me to come back to this hometown."
James will not play in the Cavs' regular-season finale Wednesday against the Pistons, who will return to Cleveland over the weekend for the start of the 2016 NBA playoffs.
James has never lost a first-round series and has won 13 consecutive games in the first round, dating back to 2012.
"I feel great," James said to DeGeneres. "(Monday) night we got an opportunity to wrap up the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, so that was a great feeling for our city, our fans, everyone here. So, I'm looking forward to the challenge, it's going to be so fun. The playoffs is what it's all about."
CLEVELAND, Ohio – LeBron James formally launched his line of Little Tikes basketball hoops Tuesday night and joined the Ellen Show to celebrate.
In an appearance that will air on Ellen DeGeneres' popular daily talk show Wednesday, James surprised dozens of children from the LeBron James Family Foundation who were gathered to celebrate the Dream Big Basketball Set, which is now available in stores and on line through Toys 'R Us.
Some proceeds from the sales of the James-sponsored hoop will go to his foundation, which primarily serves as a mentoring program for Akron children at risk of dropping out of school. The program now includes a scholarship, provided by the University of Akron, to attend school there after graduation from an Akron Public high school.
James' partnership with Little Tikes was first announced in February.
"No matter where I go in life, the places I see, I always come back here because these kids walk the same streets that I did when I was a kid," James says on the Ellen Show, which you can see here. "They breathe the same air as I did when I was a kid, so I feel like it's a responsibility for me to come back to this hometown."
James will not play in the Cavs' regular-season finale Wednesday against the Pistons, who will return to Cleveland over the weekend for the start of the 2016 NBA playoffs.
James has never lost a first-round series and has won 13 consecutive games in the first round, dating back to 2012.
"I feel great," James said to DeGeneres. "(Monday) night we got an opportunity to wrap up the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, so that was a great feeling for our city, our fans, everyone here. So, I'm looking forward to the challenge, it's going to be so fun. The playoffs is what it's all about."
