illustrations by nina mata why lebron james opened lebron james missed 83 days of school in third single-parent household where my mom was working several jobs just to put food on the table it wasn't always possible for me to get to school sometimes it was more about survival," he says he wanted to address head-on the challenges that students and families face because he knows how much things like hunger job instability and stress can affect a child's ability to learn "if we can remove some better future," james says "everything we went mom persevered through is the foundation of the costco connection james has been reciting the promise with process was pretty simple because the promise is something he and the students live every day the book became a way to share this message and make it relatable to all kids our story and our work in akron having that platform to reach and inspire people around the world through these books." available in most costco warehouses lebron james judi ketteler lives in cincinnati and is a regular connection contributor promise illustrating big dreams it was important to lebron james that who picked up the book could see to clearly and joyfully communicate the message of believing in yourself and brought the vision to life.”—jk