LeBron James, in the conversation for the greatest basketball player of all time, known across the world, a net worth of nearly half a billion dollars, and some individuals believe that should be enough for him. That he should just play basketball, entertain us, collect his checks and ‘shut up and dribble’. Pretty foul to degrade a human to just an object whose sole purpose is to entertain us, right?

It’s a really good thing Lebron refuses to be just an athlete. Instead he is choosing to use his influence to create positive change far beyond basketball.

On Monday, LeBron and his foundation opened the I Promise School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. The I Promise School aims to address some of the major issues affecting the youth in his hometown. LeBron understands that revitalizing a community expands beyond having a better education environment for children, the school is also offering GED courses and job placement services for parents. LeBron and his foundation also guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron for up to 2,300 children who graduate and meet certain requirements, such as a 3.0 GPA. Per Business Insider, this commitment has an estimated cost of over $100M or over 20% of LeBron's current net worth.

Keep refusing to shut up and dribble LeBron.

Here’s a link to an article by SB Nation detailing the unique aspects of LeBron's I Promise School.

The world’s largest collection of ocean garbage is growing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of plastic, floating trash halfway between Hawaii and California, has grown to more than 600,000 square miles. Winds and converging ocean currents funnel the garbage into a central location. The trash comes from around the Pacific Rim, including nations in Asia and North and South America. The mass is estimated to be twice the size of the state of Texas and weigh over 80 tons. As the trash breaks up into microplastics it is eaten by marine life and the trash could potentially end up in your food. Yes, this is bad news that the size of the garbage is growing at an alarming rate, but hope is not lost, there is a way that we could help slow down the growth. The easiest way you can help is to use reusable items and limit your use of onetime-use plastic items such as straws, bags, and water bottles.

This past weekend was yet another fun summer weekend which I spent at the California State Fair. The fair has definitely been such a staple point of summer growing up. It’s usually always 100+ degrees but there’s always something to do. Whether it be riding rides, petting animals, playing games or trying new foods. This year I tried ‘Tachos’ aka nachos but with tater-tots. Were they amazing? Yes. Did I feel guilty/gross after eating it? Definitely. But would you really get the whole fair experience if you didn’t have something deep fried or bad for you? Haha. Regardless, it’s always a fun summertime memory I enjoy spending with friends!