LeBron James, the forward for the LA Lakers, has always voiced his love for cycling and how it has helped him stay mentally and physically fit. In mid-2022, James invested in Canyon Bicycles and on June 15, the company launched its “Find Your Freedom” initiative with a stacked roster of Canyon Athletes.
“Riding a bike has always been a big part of my life. When I was growing up, it was how I got around—from riding with friends across the city to getting to practice and wherever I needed to be,” said James. It gave me the freedom to not only get to places but to access things that otherwise would have been out of reach. Even now, riding a bike makes me feel like a kid again. There’s nothing like feeling the air on your face and that freedom to just ride.”
The message behind the “Find Your Freedom” campaign is straightforward—”Inspire everyone and share the wonderful potential that cycling can unlock, the lessons it can teach and the freedom it provides.” Click on the image below or here to watch the video.
“Find Your Freedom” will collaborate with current road cycling world champion Mathieu van der Poel, freeriders Fabio Wibmer and Samantha Soriano, dirt and gravel rider Andrew Jackson, Canyon/Sram Generation rider Diane Ingabire, and up-and-coming mountain biker Olivia Silva.
The LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) has long recognized the power of a bike and the mobility, accessibility and physical fitness it brings to students in LeBron’s hometown of Akron, OH.
Since the “I Promise” program began in 2011, LJFF has provided each student in the program with a new bike as part of their promise to work hard, finish school and live an active and healthy lifestyle. This new initiative will see Canyon as the new sponsor for the bikes in the program.
“I know how much a bike meant to me when I was a kid and how it opened doors and got me places, I couldn’t otherwise go, so it’s always been a staple of our program to provide bikes to our I Promise students as they join the program,” said James. “It’s not only a reward for their hard work, but it also allows them to get outside, experience their community and make memories with their friends and family in a different way.”
As part of this partnership, Canyon will donate its Grand Canyon Young Heroes bikes to this year’s class of I Promise students after the academic year to support the Foundation’s “earned, not given” philosophy.
