LeBron James has partnered with ridesharing company Lyft to form a bikeshare program that will give thousands of youth across the country access to free bikes. James’s digital media company, Uninterrupted, will help produce videos for the new bikeshare program, according to CNBC.
James made the announcement at a YMCA in Harlem, where the first 50 teenagers were given free one-year memberships to New York’s Citi Bike program, which is owned by Lyft. James and Lyft plan to offer thousands more memberships to YMCA-affiliated youth who meet income requirements and are between 16 to 20 years old. The Lyft-LeBron program will launch this spring in New York City, with plans to later expand into YMCAs across Chicago and the Bay Area.
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“Growing up, a bike changed everything for me. It was more than a way to go see my friends or play basketball—it was a way of life. A bike opened doors, allowed me to get to safe places after school, and gave me access to opportunities I never would have known,” James said in a Lyft blog post.
James is certainly the highest-profile athlete to align himself with the ridesharing company. Fellow NBA player Anthony Tolliver recently explained in SportTechie’s Athletes Voice that he’s an investor in Lyft, in addition to electric Lime scooters and Airbnb.
