Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has upped the ante for this year’s Wingfoots Classic in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
For those unfamiliar, the Wingfoots Classic is an annual high school boys and girls basketball tournament. This year, the Stow Bulldogs and The Fighting Irish of James’ alma mater, St. Vincent – St. Mary’s, will collide on Sunday, December 17th.
In a recent video for Uninterrupted, James implored students on both sides to spend the week leading up to the game (December 11th – 15th) decorating their respective schools. Not just to show their school spirit, though. James announced that Goodyear will be judging their work. And to assure that the students have ample funding for their projects, James has issued $1000 gift cards to the principals of both schools.
“While the game may be on Sunday, the competition begins on Monday,” James said of the upcoming rivalry game in his video for Uninterrupted.
“On Friday (December 14th), I’m sending a special team from Goodyear to come out and judge your school,” James continued. “And to get you started, your principal has a $1000 gift card for whatever you need to wow my judges.”
“Saturday is your Give-Back Challenge, which helps the kids in my I Promise program,” James said. “Then on Sunday — of course, it’s game day.”
In the closing seconds of his video, James, now in his 15th season of NBA service, hinted that the two schools will wear unique “Wingfoots Tribute” jerseys from Nike during the games. The uniforms, which he briefly teased, appear to be in the colors of the Akron Wingfoots — one of the oldest basketball teams in America (founded in 1918 by workers at the Goodyear Tire Company).
