"Akron was almost like a boomtown," says Marilyn Holley, a lifelong resident of Akron, one of the city’s de facto deputy mayors — and my mom.

"Almost everyone that you knew had a job with the rubber factories. Uncle Gus worked two factory jobs — Firestone and Goodyear. Uncle Johnny worked at Firestone."

LeBron James grew up in Akron, Ohio. He graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School in 2003. (Mark Duncan/AP)

Akron, Ohio, 30 miles south of Cleveland, was proud of its moniker: Rubber Capital of the World. Firestone, Goodyear, Goodrich and General Tire all thrived there in the 1960s and ’70s. The ’80s, though, weren’t as profitable. Goodyear stayed, and everyone else left. The heartbreak extended to the area’s pro basketball team — the Cleveland Cavaliers, who regularly fell to the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.

By 2000, the Cavaliers were becoming one of the worst teams in the league. Northeast Ohio’s most compelling basketball story starred a 16-year-old high school junior.

"When was the first time you heard about LeBron James?" I asked my mom.

"When he was in high school," she said. "Actually, I don't know if you remember, but I asked you, 'Is he really that good?' And you said, ‘Yes.’ "

In his senior year, 2003, James and his Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary team won a state championship. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers lost 65 games. They did have one big win — in that year’s NBA Draft. They selected James, and he quickly became the best player in team history. He was revered in Cleveland for seven years. But then, in 2010, he decided to leave for Miami. Local fans burned his Cavs jersey.

The reaction to LeBron’s decision was harsh in many corners — and that’s something that my Mom couldn’t understand.

"LeBron, to me, is a phenomenal basketball player," she says. "But what impresses me about LeBron is who he is as a person. And the fact that he never forgot where he came from."

Where he’s from is Akron — all over Akron. The only child of a single mom, he once moved 12 times in three years. He missed lots of school days early in his academic career, which made him an at-risk student. He did make a return to the Cavaliers after four years in Miami. And he helped the region win its first championship in 52 years. But basketball wasn’t his sole reason for going back.

A Mystery Letter

LeBron rejoined the Cavaliers before the 2014–15 season, and led Cleveland to a title in 2016. (Beck Diefenbach/AFP/Getty Images)

Emily Ross is from Tallmadge, a suburb of Akron. Two decades ago, when she was a sophomore in high school, her grandparents’ home burned down.

"We ran to the back door and we looked and we just saw the home engulfed in flames," Emily says. "It definitely caused me some issues as a kid, knowing that I could've lost my grandma that day. I could've lost my grandpa that day. My mother."

Emily says she has struggled with anxiety since. She eventually dropped out of high school. She has four daughters now and lives in Akron. As her children have gotten older, they’ve asked their mom many questions — like why she never finished high school.

"I mean, how do you tell your kid that I failed?" Emily says. "I failed when I was 18 and I didn't get my education like I should have?"

About four years ago, when LeBron returned to Cleveland, Emily was a single mom. Divorced. There was no time to be an all-in sports fan.

"Absolutely not," Emily says. "Not at all, nope. I had heard of LeBron James — just heard the name as a local celebrity but never really knew much about him. Didn't follow him in basketball.

"And all of a sudden this letter comes in the mail, and I read it. And I had to read it like three times to really understand what it was."

'Just Hometown Kids'

The letter was from LeBron and his Family Foundation. It was a promise for at-risk kids in the Akron public schools. LeBron James had a vision for a school program that would offer tutoring and school support, so that the kids wouldn’t fall behind academically.

Emily’s daughter Morgan, who is now 10, was eligible, and she joined the program after second grade. But LeBron’s biggest assist was still to come. All the program’s kids and their families were at an amusement park for a day of fun. The all-expenses-paid trip there was a treat in itself. But there was a larger announcement.

"They told us that every kid was going to be attending Akron U completely, 100-percent free," Emily says. "I broke down. I was standing in the middle of a crowd of people, crying. I wasn't sure how I was going to send my kids to college. So this was a huge, huge relief.

"It was amazing to know that one man could care that much about the kids of Akron. Kids that he's never met. Just hometown kids."

Morgan stuck with the program. Emily says her daughter has "blossomed" since becoming involved with the Foundation. She gets support with her schoolwork and she’s even had a picture of her and LeBron appear in a local newspaper. As cool as that’s been, Emily and Morgan are still capable of being surprised.