Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his charity, the LeBron James Family Foundation, have entered the NASCAR world.
The foundation's logo and colors will be the paint scheme for NASCAR driver Chris Buescher's No. 17 car at the FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan on Aug. 7, according to RFK Racing, Buescher's racing team. The squad posted a video showing the design concept Thursday, featuring James' charity logo on the hood and the phrase, "We are family," placed on various parts of the vehicle.
James and Buescher posted their reactions on Twitter, and both were excited about the car's new look.
So AMAZING!!!! Wow wow wow. For the love of my kids and families @LJFamFoundation @IPROMISESchool 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑 https://t.co/1jvdtbGPYA
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 28, 2022
Pretty cool to have the @LJFamFoundation on my ride for Michigan.
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) July 28, 2022
The car looks fantastic! 😁 pic.twitter.com/UvOpr9XFja
RFK Racing is owned by Fenway Sports Group, in which LeBron is a partner. So James has an ownership stake in the car, as he does with the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool Football Club and RFK Racing. That means James has a piece of the No. 17 and 6 cars under the motorsports team.
The LeBron James Family Foundation was founded in 2004 with the mission to assist the children, families and community in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio. One of the many initiatives the Lakers' forward has done with his charity is open the I Promise School. The school is focused on outreach to at-risk youth in Akron. In addition, James arranged for students who complete the program to have free tuition at the University of Akron.