Under the heading of things that give sharp perspective to the daily travails of life comes this very
special pair of LeBron James’ game-worn and inscribed sneakers. James marked the LeBron Flywire
Nike shoes with “Newtown, CT” in several different places on them prior to the Miami Heat’s December
15, 2012 game vs. the Washington Wizards. The team took part in an emotional moment of silence prior
to the game and brought their own kids out on the floor as a show of support for victims of the Newtown,
CT tragedy. At the direction of LeBron James through Upper Deck Authenticated, proceeds from the sale
of these game worn shoes will go to victims of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., through the LeBron James
Family Foundation. James added his signature to one shoe and a new inscription of “vs. Wizards 12/15/12
Never forget!!” to the other shoe. Upper Deck Authenticated witnessed the signing and transported the
shoes back to headquarters where they were authenticated by having a serial-numbered hologram added
to them and a corresponding certificate of authenticity created with a matching hologram. The shoes are
registered in Upper Deck Authenticated’s database.
In comments made in December, James said, “Basketball, this is nothing. These games are nothing
compared to when you have a tragedy like that. It sucks that sometimes you need a tragedy to put things
back in perspective, to appreciate what you have. But it does that to people. It’s unfortunate that you have
to have something like that to understand what’s really important and some things that aren’t important at
all. Family is the No. 1 important thing in life.”
Newtown Memorial Fund Mission Statement:
To create a sustainable fund to provide for the immediate and ongoing needs of those affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, to construct a physical memorial honoring the lives lost on December 14, 2012, and to establish academic scholarships to honor those lost in this tragedy for future generations of Newtown students. Newtown Memorial Fund, Inc. is a
501(c)3 tax exempt organization founded by concerned citizens.