What kid doesn’t want to pretend to be LeBron James and slam dunk a basketball?
Now little ones can do that with a special line of basketball hoops through a partnership with the basketball All-Star and Akron native’s LeBron James Family Foundation and Hudson-based Little Tikes.
The items — a mini hoop basketball set for toddlers and a Dream Big basketball set — are now available via presale at www.toysrus.com (search for LeBron and Little Tikes), with delivery in early April. They will also be available in all Toys R Us stores nationwide in April and other retailers in the fall, the company said.
“To this day, I still have a Little Tikes hoop sitting in my house just because of all the days I spent playing on it as a kid. It’s one of the first gifts you get when you are old enough to do that,” said the Cavaliers forward and founder of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “That’s where I honed my skills. If it wasn’t for that Little Tikes hoop, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
In a video of James talking about the new hoops, he says he remembers the first time he dunked a basketball at age 3 as a photo of the future star with his Little Tikes hoop is displayed.
The video also features students wearing James’ foundation shirts and playing with several of the hoops in Akron’s Forest Hill elementary school.
A donation will be made to the foundation for each sale of the special line of basketball sets.
On the rim of the hoop, it says “Just a Kid from,” with a space for the child to write in his or her hometown. James is known for often saying, “I’m just a kid from Akron.”
Along the post, another of James’ sayings is displayed: “I promise to dream big.” An image of the basketball star is on the backboard.
The Akron-based LeBron James Family Foundation encourages kids to stay in school, promise to graduate and to give back to their community. Last August, the Foundation announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide qualifying students who graduate through the program a full four-year scholarship.
Covering all students currently enrolled in the program, as well as the next four incoming classes, an estimated 2,300 Akron inner-city students can potentially benefit. To encourage parent engagement in their child’s education, the foundation also offers a program called “I Promise, Too,” to help the parents of foundation students earn their GEDs.
“Our Little Tikes factory is right outside Akron, just a stone’s throw from where LeBron learned to dunk on a Little Tikes hoop as a child,” said Isaac Larian, chief executive officer of Van Nuys, Calif.-based MGA Entertainment, which owns Little Tikes. “When we heard about the amazing mission of LeBron and the Foundation, we knew right away we wanted to collaborate so that we too could give back to the families in the Akron community.”
Michele Campbell, executive director, LeBron James Family Foundation said the group is “beyond excited to partner with MGA Entertainment’s Little Tikes brand to offer the first-ever LeBron James Family Foundation branded line of sports equipment for kids.
“We encourage the students in our program to dream big, to be active, and to have fun, and this partnership with Little Tikes exemplifies all of that,” Campbell said
The toddler hoop, 52 inches high with an oversized rim and junior-sized basketball, sells for $34.99.
The Dream Big set has five height adjustments ranging from 4 to 6 feet tall, with a hoop, net and junior-sized basketball for $64.99.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.