The Lebron James-CSU Connection

The Lebron James-CSU Connection Image
The Lebron James-CSU Connection January 30, 2025

Cleveland State recently received a major shout-out on a popular podcast, sparking a deep dive into how closely LeBron James was linked to the university.

Cleveland State recently got a casual shout-out on one of the top podcasts in the country.

On an episode of New Heights, Akron-born LeBron James joined hosts Travis and Jason Kelce, Cleveland Heights natives, brothers, and current and former NFL stars.

During the wide-ranging conversation, Jason asks James if he knew that Travis saw him play when James was in high school.

“Oh yea, baby, Cleveland State, baby,” Travis interjects.

“We talked about this a couple times,” James replies.

“He came to Cleveland State and watched me rock out.”

At the time, Travis was in middle school.

“I was just trying to see the King before he went pro,” he said.

James has, in fact, hit the hardwood more than once at the Wolstein Center. He estimates that he played there 5 times before he went to the NBA.

One was his first nationally televised game in 2002 as a high school phenom. His team, Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary, was facing No. 1 Oak Hill Academy out of Virginia. The game drew thousands to the Wolstein Center and saw the future NBA star lead the Bulldogs to a 65-45 upset.

Reports have James showing up again in 2010, albeit on the sidelines, at the King City Classic, a high school basketball tournament hosted by the LeBron James Skill Academy. It’s likely, however, that he made several appearances well before that.

By this point in his career, he’d been with the Cavaliers for seven years. His appearance at the 2010 tourney was just hours before he made the heartbreaking announcement on ESPN that he was departing Cleveland to join the Miami Heat.

In 2014, Nike rented the Wolstein Center to film the two-minute commercial “Together,” which featured James, who had triumphantly returned to the Cavaliers. The spot coincided with the season opener, and as we all know, he would ultimately lead the team to its first national championship.

He came back to CSU in February 2022, now a Los Angeles Laker, for the NBA All-Star Weekend, where he spent an afternoon practicing for the game.

Apart from his physical appearances, James’ 2023 film Shooting Stars was shot partially at the Wolstein Center and included a number of alumni on the crew.

His personal connections to CSU include Dru Joyce III, a close friend who spent three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for CSU’s men’s basketball, and Rich Paul, another close friend and sports agent who received an honorary CSU degree in 2016.

Let us know at alumni@csuohio.edu if we missed any more LeBron sightings at the Wolstein Center.