LeBron James and PlayStation have a long history together, going all the way back to when the future King was in the fourth grade. LeBron mentions the cult classic samurai hack-and-slash game from 2002 by saying, “My friends and I used to play Shinobi a lot.” Even back then, our group was fiercely competitive, thus we frequently engaged in PlayStation 2 battles.
Of course, LeBron’s situation has changed significantly since 2002. He’s become a community leader who opened the “I Promise” school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and raised three children with his wife Savannah, two of whom are rising basketball stars in their own right. In the 21 years since then, he has solidified himself as one of the greatest NBA players ever, becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time champion, four-time MVP, four-time Finals MVP, and 19-time All-Star, among other accolades.
LeBron still enjoys playing games despite all of these changes. “If I happen to have a day off and I’m not training, I like to wake up early in the morning, before anyone else in the house is up, and play video games,” he confesses to Hypebeast with a sly grin. His preferred title? He says he has “logged more time on Madden than any other, for sure.”
Fuscia, blue, yellow, white, and green graffiti-style hits are splattered across both pieces, creating a striking initial visual statement that becomes clearer upon closer examination. LeBron is quick to respond to questions about the trackpad’s message, “Nothing is Given, Everything is Earned,” which is written there. He says, “Us Akron kids don’t shy away from hard work,” adding that he wants his “I Promise” school to foster similar principles in its children. You can’t just turn up and expect to succeed in life or in video games. You succeed where you devote your time and effort.
Even LeBron finds it “super surreal” that three PlayStation generations have passed since he and his friends were playing Shinobi in Akron. It seems like just yesterday when he was a young child, opening the box of his very first PlayStation and was eager to set things up. I could never have anticipated being able to sit here today and have my own [PlayStation collaboration], but I don’t take it for granted. As our chat comes to a close, LeBron says he’s happy his sons, who share his passion for gaming, are now playing PlayStation just as much as he does, if not more. But don’t suppose King James would ever allow Bronny or Bryce to triumph if they played Madden; they’d have to defeat him on an even playing field.
He laughs, “I’d be just as competitive with them as they would be with me. That is the main focus, she said.