5 Fun Facts on the AP’s Athletes of the Decade

Five Fun Facts About LeBron James

1. The greatest Promise The King could make. In 2018, LeBron opened the I Promise School, a public elementary (3^rd and 4^th grade) school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio for students who are behind in academics. After just one school year, 90% of students met or exceeded their academic goals! #extraordinary
2. Taco TUUUEEESSSSDAYYYYYY! Has an elite athlete ever been more relatable than LeBron during his weekly Taco Tuesday IG stories this summer? Even though his attempt to trademark the phrase was rejected, we think this alone put him over the edge for Male Athlete of the Decade! 
3. The Decision. We all remember the day LeBron’s free agency decision was broadcast on national TV wayyyy back in 2010. Instead of returning to the Cavs he “took his talents to South Beach”, formed the Big 3 with D-Wade and Chris Bosh, and won 2 NBA Championships. No arguing, this was the BEST decision! 
4. Rap or Go to the League…or get involved with both! That’s right, LeBron executive produced 2 Chainz’s 2019 album, “Rap or Go to the League”. He helped create the track list and even helped determine who should be featured on the album. 
5. More than an athlete. In 2015, LeBron and Maverick Carter founded UNINTERRUPTED, an athlete-driven media company that allows athletes to tell their own stories without interruption. Now, he’s hosting “The Shop” on HBO for candid convos with high-profile guests. What we would do to have a seat in that shop!

Five Fun Facts About Serena Williams

1. That time Serena became superhuman and we didn’t even know. When Serena won the 2017 Australian Open in straight sets against her sister, we thought she had just won her record-breaking 23^rd Grand Slam title. Nope, a few months later Serena announced she won that title WHILE PREGNANT, and we’re still not over it! 
2. Football is her game, too. Serena and her older sister Venus purchased shares in the Miami Dolphins back in 2009 making them the FIRST African American women to part-own an NFL team. #trailblazer
3. Education for all! Thanks to the Serena Williams Fund and Helping Hands, Serena has worked to build three schools located in Uganda, Kenya, and Jamaica. Yes, Serena herself grabbed her toolkit, rocked a hardhat, and physically helped build each school manicure and all!
4. Do it for the love of the game. When Serena appeared on UNINTERRUPTED’s “Kneading Dough” she revealed that she often forgot about the monetary prizes during the early part of her career. She was more focused on winning than money so the tournament directors would have to personally deliver her checks at the end of the year. 
5. Trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers. Yes, there’s a need to quote Drake here. Serena’s rivalry with Sharapova actually helped inspire Drake’s second Meek Mill diss track “Back To Back”. Serena told Drake he needed to “finish it” and create something not even Meek could ignore. Clearly, she gave some great advice!