NBA star LeBron James says his new museum is something 'we can all be proud of' in Akron

CLEVELAND — In the buildup to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tipping off against the Cavaliers, hundreds of people visited House Three Thirty in Akron, immersing themselves in the iconic basketball journey of the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

The LeBron James' Home Court museum opened to the public Saturday morning at the former Tangier restaurant renovated by the kid from Akron's foundation.

The venue is roughly a three-minute drive from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where James became a national sports figure as a junior, and a 44-minute car ride from the Cavs' home arena in downtown Cleveland, where James and the franchise became eternally connected at the outset of his 21-season professional career and again when he returned following a departure to Miami.

After the Lakers defeated the Cavs 121-115 on Saturday night in what could be one of the final homecoming games for James, the 38-year-old superstar reflected during a news conference about the museum's unveiling.

“It's just special ... for my community, for my foundation, and then the people that's followed me along my journey get an opportunity to be a part of it, feel a part of it,” said James, who scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists to help the Lakers (10-7) prevail against the Cavs (8-8).

General admission tickets to the museum are $23 — a nod to James' jersey number. All proceeds from the sales will go to House Three Thirty's job training model that employs students, parents, educators and family members affiliated with the I Promise School. The school operates through a partnership between The LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools.

“It's pretty cool that I've been able to do some things in my life to be able to bring back to my community, continue to highlight my community and make my community a place where people want to visit, want to see and want to be proud of it,” James said. “I am. I'm definitely proud of the fact that my foundation has been able to do some great things. [The museum is] just one of the things that we can all be proud of, for sure, for my hometown.”

LeBron James' Home Court museum opens to public in Akron's House Three Thirty on same day Los Angeles Lakers visit Cleveland Cavaliers

James' museum gives guests an opportunity to embark on a self-guided trip down a LeBron-themed memory lane.

The tour in House Three Thirty's basement begins in a lobby adorned with wallpaper made from enlarged versions of letters James has received from fans.

With guidance from a museum employee, a visitor can use a key to open a door and access a re-creation of Spring Hill Apartment No. 602, which James and his mother, Gloria, called home from 1996-2003.

Incredible attention to detail gives the apartment a genuine feel. Mail addressed to Gloria, college basketball recruiting letters sent to James and photographs affixed to a refrigerator with magnets are a few examples of the personal touches.

Gloria curated the replica of the apartment, which consists of a living room, LeBron's bedroom and a kitchen. James pointed out his mom deserves a substantial assist for making the museum a reality.

“I used to get on my mom a lot about saving everything since I started first playing sports,” James said. “And she kind of threw it back in my face when the stuff was being prepared down at the museum because a lot of stuff in there was because of the stuff that she saved.

“She got trophies when I won MVP when I was like 9 years old and things that's pretty cool and that I hadn't seen in years. I didn't even know she still had it.”

The first in a series of the museum's transitions occurs when one steps out of the apartment and into a St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball locker room representing the gathering place where STVM's famous "Fab Five" forged bonds.

A segue into The LeBron James Arena reveals an original basketball hoop removed from STVM's gymnasium during remodeling spearheaded by James and his foundation in 2013.

Other areas of the museum shine a spotlight on the 2003 NBA Draft in which the Cavs chose James first overall, his four championships with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013), Cavs (2016) and Lakers (2020), his gold medals with the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (2008 and 2012) and key moments for his business endeavors and community initiatives.

During Saturday's game, the Cavs honored James with a tribute video and congratulated him on becoming the NBA's scoring king in February. James reacted to cheers from the crowd by using his hands to form a heart.

With James leading the charge in 2016, the Cavs became Cleveland's first major pro sports team to win a title in nearly 52 years.

“No matter how old I get, I'll always remember that moment,” James said. “So stepping back on this floor is always a pretty cool feeling.

“Just being a part of pretty much all the banners in this arena, and the No. 1 banner, the one that sits in the middle, was that '16 championship, so that's pretty cool.”

LeBron James inspires Los Angeles Lakers teammates with what he does for his hometown of Akron

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes attended Moeller High School in Cincinnati, where his father, former NFL player Jonathan, worked as a Bengals assistant coach from 2003-18. Hayes said he and his family would travel to Cleveland two or three times a year during his youth to watch James play for the Cavs.

Hayes, 23, said he was eager to visit James' museum. The Lakers toured it Sunday.

The walk through James' story is peppered with memorabilia. A STVM football jersey, a framed photo featuring James and Michael Jordan, the 20-year-old white suit donned on draft night and some of LeBron's Halloween decorations are among the nostalgic gems.

“He's a huge part of why kids like me make it to the NBA because we just grew up watching him and grew up looking up to him,” Hayes said. “For this museum to open for him is a big deal, and I'm happy I just get to be his teammate while it's opening.

“He's done so much for this state and for this city and for Akron. He's just done so much for the state of Ohio in general. It's awesome. I hope to do the same thing one day, and [I'm] trying to do the same thing. It's just a lot of inspiration for all of us.”

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Lakers guard Austin Reaves explained he also admires how James has established a legacy off the basketball court.

“He's a great human,” Reaves said. “He treats everybody as a person. With someone of that stature, you hear so many times of people kind of not being a good person, but him, he's the exact opposite. He cares about you as a human, especially his hometown, where he comes from. So a big shout-out to him for all that he does for his community and all the other communities as well.”

The museum is yet another vehicle James is using to give back.

“It's very special to be a kid from Akron,” James said. “I grew up 30 miles south of here.

“When I was drafted, I said I wanted to light this place up like Vegas. So I feel like I did a decent job when I was here for my 11 years.”

Now there is a new attraction in James' hometown with his name on it.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: LeBron James' Home Court museum opens in Akron as Lakers visit Cavs