LeBron James’ sneakers find their way to Sitka high school basketball player
SITKA, Alaska (KTUU) - A pair of Nikes made exclusively for NBA superstar LeBron James has made their way onto the feet of a Mount Edgecumbe High School freshman in Sitka.
Fifteen-year-old Rashawn Stone from Anaktuvuk Pass has something in common with the Lakers basketball legend —they both wear a size 16 shoe.
“It’s really surprising to me that I get to wear this type of shoe,” he said. “I love Lebron, he’s one of my favorite players.”
The shoes were donated to Stone by the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYFC) in Portland, after Rachel Moreno, who used to work at Mt. Edgecumbe, heard that a student there could use them.
She said a dozen pairs of the shoes were made for James to wear at the 2020 NBA Championship, which was played in a bubble in Orlando. For some reason, James never wore them, and several pairs were donated to NAYFC.
Stone, who just wrapped up his first season on the Braves’ varsity basketball team, joked that wearing the shoes makes him play better.
But his coach, Andrew Friske, said, “I don’t know if it’s the shoes, it’s the guy in the shoes.”
“I think Rashawn has a great future ahead of him,” he explained. “He’s very wise for his age … I think he’s going to just do really good things no matter what he decides to do in his life.”
Stone has big shoes to fill, as he sets his sights on the future.
“I hope I do really good in school [so] that I can go to college and play college basketball,” he said. “Hope I get there someday.”
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
