LeBron James started the I PROMISE program with a simple idea: give kids from Akron a real shot. This week, that idea reached a milestone worth paying attention to.
The LJ Fam Foundation announced that its latest cohort of I PROMISE students has graduated from Kent State University and the University of Akron. These are the Class of 2026, and they’ve been in the program since third grade. That’s more than a decade of consistent support from the foundation James built in his hometown.
The foundation shared the news on Instagram this week, calling it “one of our favorite traditions.” Graduating students reflected on their personal journeys and how far they’ve come. The post was tagged #promisekept, #foreverazip, and #flashesforever. Those are nods to Kent State (the Golden Flashes) and the University of Akron (the Zips).
The I PROMISE program runs deeper than a scholarship check. James grew up in Akron, attended public school there, and has talked openly about the instability of his early years. The program he built through the LJ Fam Foundation targets kids in at-risk situations. It wraps them in a full support structure: tutoring, family resources, and meals. And it commits to covering college tuition for those who stay the course.
Getting students from third grade to a college diploma is genuinely hard. Life doesn’t pause. Families face hardship. Kids get off track. Students who entered this program as eight and nine-year-olds are now collecting degrees from two Ohio universities. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes structure, resources, and people who keep showing up year after year.
The I PROMISE School opened in Akron in 2018, run through a partnership with the Akron Public Schools district. It’s become one of the more credible athlete-led philanthropy projects in recent memory. It’s not a one-time donation or a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It’s a school. It has staff and a curriculum. Now it has a graduating college class.
For the Class of 2026, this is a deeply personal finish line. The foundation has made a tradition of letting graduates reflect publicly on their journeys and the lessons they’ve carried along the way. It keeps the focus on the students, not on James.
Over his career, James has won championships and built a media company. He’s racked up enough business ventures to keep a management team busy. Most of that plays out on a national stage with cameras on it. What’s been happening in Akron is quieter and less photogenic. A kid in third grade becoming a college graduate is not a story that fits neatly into a news cycle. It takes years to tell.
This week, the Class of 2026 told it. They walked across the stage and kept their promise.
