LeBron James named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People for fourth time

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James is once again one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.

This is the fourth time the NBA superstar and Akron native has made the magazine’s list, now in its 16th year. With this selection, he joins the company of other four-time honorees George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and George Clooney, among others.

Unlike previous years, however, the honor has less to do with basketball and more for his off-the-court endeavors. James missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005 after leaving the Cavaliers to join the Lakers this season. Instead, he was recognized for the opening of his I Promise School in Akron last summer.

“LeBron has justified the adulation of millions and millions of young people, thanks to his ability to live up to enormous expectations on the basketball court, his business successes in Hollywood and media, and his new I Promise School for disadvantaged kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio," Warren Buffett, billionaire financier and a friend of James for more than a decade, wrote for Time. “That adulation will make a positive difference in their lives…. [Y]ou’re just seeing the start of LeBron.”

The I Promise School, founded by the LeBron James Family Foundation to serve academically at-risk children, is already off to an “extraordinary” start. Test scores show 90 percent of the school’s 240 third and fourth graders “met or exceeded” their goals in reading and math, outperforming their counterparts across the Akron public school district, the New York Times reported.

Another good story worth sharing: From one "kid from Akron" to a new generation of Akron kids, some remarkable early achievements at @IPROMISESchool. Great work, @KingJames—and even better work by those students. Proud to be a witness to their success: https://t.co/ctWfKnA5GL — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 12, 2019

Time’s list also includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, pop superstar Taylor Swift, actors Dwayne Johnson and Sandra Oh, CBS News anchor Gayle King and soccer player Mohamed Salah, each of whom is featured on one of the issue’s six covers.

Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson, Sandra Oh, Gayle King, Nancy Pelosi and Mohamed Salah are featured on the covers of Time magazine's annual 100 Most Influential People issue.

For the full list, visit Time.com.