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LeBron and SpongeBob form an unlikely team
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
AKRON — LeBron James has a new teammate who's just as popular. The guy has a few holes in his game. Oh, and he lives in a pineapple under the sea.
SpongeBob SquarePants won't help James win any NBA titles, but the Cavaliers' superstar has paired up with Nickelodeon, the home of SpongeBob and his ocean-dwelling cartoon chums, to raise awareness about the environment.
Beyond the global-awareness message — part of Nickelodeon's Big Green Help campaign — James is hoping to educate kids on the importance of exercise.
"We're trying to get kids out of the house," Cleveland's All-Star forward said while dressing in his trailer after filming the PSA, which will air in mid-July. "Get outside, ride bikes, play hoops. And in this, we're trying to save water and do other things that can help the environment. ... It doesn't take much to recycle a can or turn the faucet off."
At 23, James is still a kid at heart. A big SpongeBob fan, the two-time Olympian is also a father of two young sons, and he understands the impact he can have on shaping other kids' lives.
"They are our future," he said as his 1-year-old, Bryce, begged for daddy's attention. "You never forget things when you're a kid, so every time I do something I like to have it involve kids. I was at my basketball camp earlier and the memories those kids made are going to stay with them the rest of their lives. What I do is kid driven. I don't do it because I have to. I want to."
