Basketball superstar LeBron James sat down with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah on Wednesday night for an extended interview that covered his charitable, political, and entertainment efforts, instead of his sports triumphs.
An obviously star-struck Noah spent the first part of the interview talking about the work the LeBron James Family Foundation is doing around education. The foundation has programs that specialize in getting kids to school, and making sure that they stay there. Sometimes, James himself will leave hectoring phone messages for children who play hooky. The Cavaliers star said that he works with kids because "I know what they go through, growing up in tough situations." James mentioned that his foundation works with parents as well, helping them to get GEDs.
He also discussed why he has been public about political issues lately, including his high-profile speech at the ESPYs.
"I'm not a politician, but I know what I'm about, and I know what I represent," James told Noah. "I know how many kids look up to me for guidance. I feel like if there's something going on in our society that I feel very passionately about, then I'll speak upon it, no matter what anyone says about it."
The first half of the interview can be seen below.
The second half of the conversation (which can be seen starting at the 17:45 mark of this video) got into James' new television show Cleveland Hustles, which highlights four entrepreneurs from that city. He is producing the show, he said, because he feels a kinship with the small businesspeople the show profiles.
"When I was a kid, I just had so many ideas in my head," he explained. "One of the ideas I had was, if I have an opportunity, I want to be able to create jobs for people [and] create an opportunity where people can feel empowered."
