Case Western Reserve Students Join the Fight to Keep LeBron James

With billboards and fan-made marches going on throughout the nation in attempt to allure one LeBron James to town, those in his current home refuse to let the others get all of the attention.  Several students at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University collectively decided to hand paint a mural on their campus.  The hopes, as it is with the others, is to let the 25-year-old forward know how much the Cleveland area appreciates him as a person as much as a basketball player.

“Undoubtedly I want LeBron to stay in Cleveland, but I understand the possibility of him leaving,” said Nayyir Qutubuddin, a recent graduate of CWRU. “I didn’t want to look regretfully back on this summer without saying “I tried”.  The hope is to bring some attention to Cleveland.”

James, slated to hit free agency on July 1 has several options at his disposal.  Growing up in Akron, Ohio and being drafted by the Cavaliers, James has been playing basketball in Ohio through his entire career – a career which Clevelanders hope continues on in their very city.

One of the latest efforts which Qutubuddin hopes to detract from is the recent “Bring LeBron to the Clippers” parade outside of Los Angeles’ Staples Center.  Given the attention of the Western Conference Finals, Clippers fans took advantage of the Lakers’ success and opted to hold their own rally.

Other cities like Chicago and New York have started web sites dedicated strictly to James’ possible arrival.  The use of murals and billboards has been fairly common throughout the entire arrival to free agency, each with a slightly different message.  This specific board is a slight variation from the old State of Ohio license plates that were prominent throughout the 1990s, stating that Ohio is the “Heart of it All.”

“The message [on this billboard] is simple,” Nayyir Qutubuddin continued. “LeBron is, as on the old Ohio license plates, “The Heart of it All”. We know that he will be faced with a number of different choices this summer, but we are urging him to, above all,  Choose Loyalty.”

The hand painted billboard is located between the Thwing Center (Case Western’s student union) and Kelvin Hale Smith Library off of Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.  It can be most easily seen from Bellflower Road looking south.