King James Launches Crypto Program For Kids
Lebron isn’t just schooling people on how to dunk a basketball. Now he’s venturing into the booming world of crypto. And he’s starting at the root: education. His foundation, Lebron James Family Foundation (LJFF) has partnered with cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com to launch a series of educational and job training initiatives about Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and related blockchain technology.
“Through this partnership, I PROMISE students and families will get a strong foundation in Web3 and the innovations behind blockchain-based decentralized applications powering the future of many sectors from finance to media to art,” per Crypto.com’s Friday statement.
Lebron isn’t the first celeb to marry sports and crypto. In October 2021, Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks announced a five-year partnership with Voyager Digital that cemented the company in history-making them the first team with a cryptocurrency brokerage.
The agreement with Voyager Digital also included free Bitcoin (BTC) for fans that signed up in the initial two days of the partnership.
Mark Cuban is just getting started. He said recently that 80% of his investments that aren’t on Shark Tank are crypto-related.
“The investments I’m making now are not in traditional businesses,” Cuban said on a recent episode of “The Problem With Jon Stewart” podcast. In fact, “80% of the investments that I make that are not on ‘Shark Tank’ are in or around cryptocurrencies.”
In particular, Cuban is turning his attention to decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAOs. “That is really where I look to invest,” he said.
Not to be outdone, entertainment venues are also catching onto the crypto trend. In November 2021, one of the most iconic entertainment venues in the world decided it was time for a name change. The Staples Center, home to the Los Angeles Lakers and several other professional sports teams, was renamed the Crypto.com arena.
Not only is this the largest naming rights deal in history with Crypto.com paying an estimated $700 million for the rights, but as crypto continues to become more mainstream and its use cases accelerate, there’s the possibility that it will have an even greater impact on the sports and entertainment industry.
Crypto is catching on with players, too. NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (OBJ) has joined a growing list of professional athletes who want to be paid in Bitcoin. OBJ partnered with Square’s Cash App to take his new salary in Bitcoin.
With the momentum fueled by Cuban, Lebron, OBJ, and other stars, crypto is picking up more steam and adoption. According to Statista, it’s estimated that the global user base of all cryptocurrencies increased by nearly 190 percent between 2018 and 2020 — and it’s expected that 2022 will produce even more growth.
Where do we go from here? To the moon. Maybe the next Space Jam remake will be live on set.
“Blockchain technology is revolutionizing our economy, sports and entertainment, the art world, and how we engage with one another. I want to ensure that communities like the one I come from are not left behind,” James said, per the statement.
