I PROMISE, the Canyon and LeBron James back story

[Words by Steve Thomas]

Hoops, hopes, and wheels? It well may sound like a strange combination, that being when Canyon announced a short while back that as part of its “Find Your Freedom” initiative (which includes some of their top sponsored athletes, such as Fabio Wibmer and Matthieu van der Poel) that a certain NBA basketball star named LeBron James was presented as a key part of this mission. 

The aim is to raise awareness of the freedom and the many other magical benefits that simply riding bicycles can bring to people and society. It’s far from unusual for major stars from other sports to ride bikes, or even take the sport more seriously, and Canyon do indeed also support F1 driver Valtteri Bottas in pursuing his gravel racing passion, and for many years LeBron himself has spoken with reverence about his own long-term experience on two wheels.

Read on to learn more about the project and the relationships.

Who is LeBron James?

As a staggering six feet and nine inches tall, LeBron James is literally a sporting giant, although being as he’s a basketball player not all die-hard cycling fans outside of the USA may be too familiar with the detail behind the iconic name.

Aged 39 and hailing from Akron in Ohio LeBron (aka King James) is the oldest player in the NBA and he plays alongside his son Bronny for the illustrious Los Angeles Lakers, Lebron is considered as one of, if not the, greatest NBA player of all time (alongside Michael Jordan). 

He is also the NBA’s current all-time greatest scorer, a double Olympic Champion, and according to Forbes in 2024 he is the 4th highest earning sportsman in the world, with an estimated US$182 million in total on and off-court earnings for the year, and he’s been amongst the top handful on that score for around a decade. Needless to say, this is some serious status in sporting terms, which makes Tadej Pogacars’ estimated US$6.5M a year look like tea money.

Off the court, LeBron has had a lifelong love of bikes, and regularly talks about how much they changed his life, both in terms of providing transport and escapism and as a means of personal independence and freedom – something just about all of us can relate and attest to.

The life lessons learned and earned from owning a simple bicycle have lived with him throughout his rough ride to fame and glory, and he still rides a bike for the physical and mental health benefits gained from our mutual wonderful machines. 

Many years ago, he started the LeBron James Family Foundation in his hometown of Akron, which supports, encourages, and provides essential resources needed by youngsters in and around Akron. In with that, providing bikes to students has been a long-standing element in this process – and he, perhaps is the ultimate hometown role model to shoot those benefits to others.

Canyon and LeBron James

The German-born bike brand Canyon needs a little introduction here, so we’ll do just that (a little intro). Although the Koblenz-based Canyon Bicycles brand as we know it today was officially founded in 2002 by Roman Arnold (who remains a significant stakeholder), under the Radsport Arnold name, Arnold had been selling bike parts since 1985, and around 1996 started selling bikes branded as Canyon.

Against the odds of the era, and much to the head shakes and raised eyebrows of many bike industry leaders of the not-so-distant past, Canyon decided very early on to embrace the powers of this new virtual wild child known as the internet, and so they went consumer direct and sold online. 

Well, the brand certainly got that one right enough, and Canyon is now one of the most prestigious bike brands out there today. But, how on earth did the LeBron relationship come around?

Aha, back in 2022 LeBron/LRMR Ventures (along with SC Holdings) made an estimated  €30M investment in Canyon, with the prime mutual aim of expanding the brand and market in the USA. 

Whichever way you look at things, Canyon collaborating and supporting the LeBron James Family Foundation and the I PROMISE project is a win-win situation for all concerned; for the young students, for the foundation, for the broader awareness of cycling and for promoting its benefits to society, and of course for Canyon too.

Along with continuing the support of LeBron himself, Canyon will be sponsoring and supplying the student bikes for the program. Let’s hope it helps to spread the message of just how important bikes and riding them can be to the greater non-cycling world and society in general, and when big names like LeBron demonstrate and spread that good word, that news travels far and wide and is heard.

The LeBron James Family Foundation & I PROMISE

We asked Michele Campbell, Executive Director of the LeBron James Family Foundation and I PROMISE, to tell us more about their mission and where bikes fit into it.

ORCC: What is the prime aim and goal of the foundation?

MC: LeBron established the LeBron James Family Foundation before he even stepped foot in the NBA because he knew he wanted to give back to his community. Over the years, that commitment has evolved and grown into a revolutionary model for community building. Our goal is to uplift and empower students and families to live out their dreams, with our work rooted in education, and wraparound support every step of the way. 
 
ORCC: How did bicycles come to be a part of this?

MC: Bikes have played a role in this effort from the beginning. Knowing how much freedom and mobility a bike brought to LeBron when he was growing up, it was important to him that students in his I PROMISE program experience that same feeling and accessibility.

Today, the bikes serve as a reward for hard work in the classroom and in the community that may be earned at the end of the school year as part of our earned, not given philosophy. 
 
ORCC: In a time when bikes have fallen out of favour with younger people, how have they managed to convey their importance to students, and how have they been received?

MC: Our program is rooted in promises. Our students promise to work hard, listen to their teachers, and be good sons and daughters. Part of that promise is to live an active and healthy lifestyle. We encourage our students to be active and a bike is a great way to keep them moving. These two wheels also give them the ability to get to school, parks, and recreational centers for more activities. 
 
ORCC: What have been the key life and career benefits of bikes for LeBron, and does he convey this to students and through the foundation?

MC: When you hear LeBron talk about bikes, it’s often the accessibility they offered at a time when he had no transportation, and now the freedom they bring as an adult. Bikes gave LeBron the ability to get to school, practice, local community courts, and the rec center. His bike allowed him to get across the city with his teammates and friends to be where he needed to be. Today, bike riding for him is a more freeing experience. It allows him to feel like a kid again. He loves that the kids in our Foundation get to feel that feeling every day with their bikes.
 
ORCC: Moving ahead, how is the model you’re creating being received elsewhere, and is it a long-term goal to help this become a more widespread entity or model?

MC: Our I PROMISE model in Akron, we believe, is unlike anything else in the country. It prioritizes listening and responding to what our community needs, and then rallying the resources to meet those needs in a meaningful and sustainable way.

The result has been a transformative effort that includes a holistic approach to public education at the I PROMISE School, higher education and family support at the I PROMISE Institute, emergency and immediate short-term housing at the I PROMISE Village, long-term and affordable housing at I PROMISE Housing, medical and behavioral health supports at I PROMISE HealthQuarters, job training, and financial literacy at House Three Thirty, all located within a few city blocks of each other. 

These life-changing resources, combined with the Foundation’s “We Are Family” philosophy are re-defining what a family and community look like, and have attracted philanthropists, school systems, other athletes, and numerous interested organizations to Akron to see and learn about our model with the goal of taking some best practices back to their communities. It’s been incredible to watch the work not only evolve but take root in other cities across the country.

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