Love has always been by LeBron James. However, the Los Angeles Lakers star is also subject to mammoth amounts of hate. The Akron Hammer has carried pressure ever since entering the league. Each move is monitored closely, and there isn’t much room for error.

The town of Akron, Ohio wasn’t established well before the birth of LeBron James. Coming up as one of the brightest talents in the history of the NBA, he conquered the world of basketball. However, James’ heart never left the city. He has done tremendous work to develop Akron. One of his biggest projects was building the I Promise School for kids.

But popular media personality Jason Whitlock saw it in another way. Grilling the $100-million-worth sports businessman Dave Portnoy, Whitlock made a debatable comparison with the King.

Whitlock takes a massive dig at LeBron James and Portnoy

Dave Portnoy is the founder of one of the biggest online sports platforms, Barstool Sports. Starting from fantasy sports tips, the organization has now grown into arguably one of the largest sports tycoons. Recently, Barstool Sports was taken over by Penn National for a whopping sum of $387 million. Portnoy’s venture brought him all the riches. However, he even used it to give back.

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In 2020, Portnoy started the Barstool Fund. To support small businesses, he raised $39 million. However, Whitlock feels it was all a popularity stunt. And he feels similarly about LeBron James’ education start-up.

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Whitlock said: “Dave Portnoy is a sellout. He has no interest in bringing people together. His interest is in lining his pockets. I’d have no problem if he’d just admit it. He’s the white LeBron James. It’s great Portnoy raised money for small businesses, it’s great LeBron spent a million dollars on a school in Akron. It’s good marketing, it’s terrific public relations.”  

There was a time Whitlock showed immense support to the Barstool’s owner. However, the two have gone back and forth on Twitter.

I Promise School and Barstool’s contributions

The pandemic was a rough period for many budding entrepreneurs. During this time, the Barstool Fund paved the way for many small businesses to thrive. With $39 million raised, Portnoy supported over 350 small businesses. He even put in $500,000 of his own.

On the other hand, LeBron James arguably brought life back to the city of Akron. Hand delivering a cheque for $1 million, he opened up the I Promise School. Since its inception, the school has boosted the academic results in the city. Students get an opportunity to get a full scholarship to the University of Akron as well. The unique teaching methods have made it an experience to cherish for the kids. The institution supports over 1000 students with mentoring and career preparation.

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Both these business giants have undoubtedly given back to society in a huge way. Do you think LeBron James and Dave Portnoy are doing this all just for the public eye? Do you disagree with Jason Whitlock? Let us know your views in the comments below.