When the Cavaliers faced the Detroit Pistons during the first round of the NBA playoffs in April, a charter bus with LeBron James’ face plastered on it traveled from Ohio to Michigan for the game.
Fans crowded around the bus when it arrived, expecting the team to step out. Instead of towering basketball players, a group of spirited grannies stepped out of the bus wearing their best wine and gold attire along with T-shirts Nike designed just for them, the LeBron James Grandmothers’ Fan Club.
The women are back in Akron to root on their hometown hero and the rest of the team as they compete against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Alder Chapman of Akron, the president and founder of the fan club, said the group has over 200 members. Many are in Akron, but some are from as far as Georgia and New York.
“He has hundreds of grandmas,” Chapman said, noting each grandmother feels James is like their grandson.
Since starting the fan club in 2006, the women have looked to James not only as a sports figure, but also as a source of inspiration. He has brought the ladies through some of their toughest times, like when member Illona Aleman of Canton had breast cancer in 2009, which has since gone into remission. She said James’ drive often encouraged her to “get that weak stuff outta here.”
“I stay motivated because I’m a fit fan. If LeBron can do it, I can do it,” said Aleman, who now stays active to maintain her health. “He’s been my strength.”
Mentoring program
The women are also inspired by the way James gives back to the Akron community. In light of that, they’re starting a mentoring program with third-graders at the Helen Arnold Community Learning Center.
The ladies will receive training through a program called iCARE Mentoring, a state-funded initiative that seeks to provide students with a meaningful relationship with an adult. When school starts in August, they will each mentor a child one-on-one during school hours for an hour a week for at least a year.
“LeBron James was a mentor, so we figured we could reach out to kids in that way also,” said Deborah Vaughn of Akron, who heads the mentoring program for the fan club.
“He realized one of our main resources is the children,” said Linda Gilbert of Akron, the secretary of the group. “He just has that give-back mentality.”
To raise money for their mentoring program, the ladies are hosting their fourth annual Sounds and Taste of Soul fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. June 18 at Helen Arnold CLC. The event will have food and non-food vendors along with music and other entertainment.
For now, though, the grannies are focused on cheering James in the NBA Finals.
“The grandmothers know basketball,” Chapman said. “I don’t even listen to the commentators because they talk like they know everything. I put it on mute.”
Despite two devastating blows delivered by the Golden State Warriors, the ladies are optimistic their adopted grandson won’t let them down — especially paired against fellow Akron-born Warriors player Stephen Curry.
“He’s a good basketball player, but he’s not LeBron. He doesn’t have the swag and humility LeBron does,” Chapman said of Curry. “LeBron to me is a humble, loving young man.”
The grandmothers will continue holding watch parties at area restaurants to cheer their golden boy through the Finals. If all else fails, one thing is guaranteed: the ladies will never lose their faith in James.
“I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I’m still very much in sync with them,” Chapman said. “I think they’re going to get out of the funk they’re in, and they’re coming home.
“If anything else, we’ll be there praying for him. Us grannies will be behind him 100 percent.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.