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00:00I'm Melissa Bullen with Sports Illustrated, and we're here with our very own Phil Pinter-Lopez.
00:10Now, Joe, LeBron James recently went to his I Promise school and had a one-on-one chat
00:16with one of his students who was going through a hard time.
00:19I can only imagine how impactful it would be for a young kid to talk to a three-time
00:25NBA champion, especially these kids who are going through hard times at home and have
00:31felt at times as though they had fallen through the cracks.
00:33What was it like for this young man to meet LeBron James?
00:37Well, Vince, who has certainly become a popular figure through this docuseries I Promise that
00:42we're all watching, had a great time with LeBron.
00:45What's really cool about Vince, as you can tell, he's maybe not quite as into sports
00:48and into other things, and he really is a big fan of movies.
00:52So he was asking LeBron James about Friday the 13th, and they were both cracking up about
00:56that.
00:57It's just cool to see a little kid making LeBron James laugh.
01:00Now, LeBron is very hands-on, and obviously the school is in Akron, Ohio, and he's in
01:05L.A. most of the NBA season and much of the off-season as well.
01:09But he gets there whenever he can, and he's had some pep talks with the teachers who aren't
01:14just teaching math and reading.
01:16They're struggling a little bit as well with the behavioral problems of some of these kids
01:20that come into the school who are at risk.
01:22So everybody's working together on that.
01:24And a talk with LeBron James, whether you're an adult or you're a young boy like Vince,
01:29you know, really gives you a boost.
01:30And Vince has, you know, had some problems.
01:33He's been bullied.
01:34But this school, you can tell, like the teachers tell him, we're supporting you.
01:37We got your back.
01:38And I mean, LeBron James has his back.
01:40And LeBron James said recently, after he watched the premiere of his docuseries while in quarantine
01:46with his family, he said Vince is his family's favorite.
01:49So they've developed a really strong connection and share a lot of laughs, and I just think
01:52that's pretty cool.
01:53That's going to be life-changing for that kid.