'Golf Has Become a Passion': Lebron James Launches Major PGA Tour Event as His Post-NBA Future Takes Shape

LeBron James will front a new PGA Tour event at Firestone Country Club in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, as part of a partnership that links his foundation's work with professional golf.

The inaugural LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational is scheduled for 6 and 7 July 2027 on Firestone's South Course. The two-day event will bring together professional and amateur competition with youth programmes and mentorship aimed at opening up pathways into the sport.

The partnership marks a notable expansion of James' involvement in golf and comes just days after he launched a golf-focused YouTube channel charting his own development as a player.

'Golf has become a passion of mine, and I've seen firsthand how the game can open doors, build relationships and create opportunities that many kids don't even know exist,' James said in a statement.

The event will also help retain a PGA Tour presence at Firestone following the Tour's long-running professional event moving away from the Akron course.

I PROMISE Students To Play, Learn and Compete at Firestone

A major part of the event will focus on young people from James' I PROMISE programme, which supports students and families in Akron. Students will take part in mentorship opportunities with professional golfers who have progressed through the PGA Tour's Pathway to Progression Pro-Bound Five programme.

The initiative supports aspiring players from historically underrepresented backgrounds, with the top five players in the APGA collegiate rankings gaining access to the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour. Players from the Pro-Bound Five programme will also compete at Firestone, while amateurs will have opportunities to participate in the event.

Money raised will benefit the Akron community. James said the partnership would allow his foundation to introduce his I PROMISE students and other young people to golf while supporting athletes attempting to build professional careers.

PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said the partnership would connect young people in Akron with the sport while supporting emerging players and honouring Firestone's history. For James, the project brings together his growing interest in golf with one of the central aims of his foundation: creating opportunities for children in his home city.

Firestone's 70-Year PGA Tour History Gets a New Chapter

Firestone has a long association with professional golf. The club hosted its first PGA Tour event, the Rubber City Open, in 1954 and has staged the PGA Championship three times.

Tiger Woods also enjoyed sustained success at the course, winning eight World Golf Championship events at Firestone, the last of them in 2013.

More recently, the venue hosted the Kaulig Companies Championship on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.

That event is moving to Newport Beach Country Club in California, meaning the new James-backed tournament will help keep professional golf on the calendar in Akron.

Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation, said PGA Tour events at Firestone had been a fixture in the community for years and that the foundation was proud to help preserve the Tour's presence there.

The announcement comes as James increases his involvement in golf away from basketball.

James Expands Golf Portfolio as NBA Career Continues

The 41-year-old, who recently joined the Philadelphia 76ers, launched his own YouTube channel this month. His first episode featured a reunion with members of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship team during a golf trip to Scotland, including Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson, Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye.

James has described golf as a challenging escape that has become a serious new interest. His latest move takes that interest beyond playing and into event creation, youth development and professional golf.

While James has not announced when he will end his NBA career, the Akron tournament offers an indication of how his sporting and philanthropic interests could develop beyond basketball. For now, his immediate focus remains the NBA.

But with a PGA Tour partnership, a new golf media venture and a major event carrying his foundation's name, golf is becoming an increasingly prominent part of James' life away from the basketball court.