AKRON, OH—Expressing pride that the curriculum he helped put in place was already bearing fruit in critical areas of study, LeB ron James revealed Wednesday that students at his I Promise elementary school have seen huge gains in English, m ath, and d unk testing. “I’m truly humbled to be making a difference in my community, where so many of these kids tested way below the national average in t omahawk jams, and now they’re on pace to rank in the 90th percentile for both chemistry and alley-oops,” said James, who credited the school’s small class sizes for giving the kids the hands-on attention they need to learn how to “really throw it down.” “We’ve seen dramatic improvement across the board, from reading comprehension and arithmetic to jump shooting and Jelly l ayups. It’s amazing to watch kids who could barely even palm the ball a few years ago slam home windmills like it’s nothing. Of course, these are still young kids, so they have to continue making strides until they’re able to dunk a regulation-sized basketball—which is a graduation requirement.” At press time, James had announced a new scholarship program to help Akron-area high schoolers gain admission to prestigious Ivy League dunking programs.

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