--- title: "LeBron James’s custom Maybach heads to a New York charity auction for his Akron foundation" url: https://badiyaa.com/lebron-james-maybach-s680-charity-auction-akron/ published: 2026-10-16T17:55:00+01:00 modified: 2026-10-16T15:21:06+01:00 section: Entertainment publisher: Badiyaa --- # LeBron James’s custom Maybach heads to a New York charity auction for his Akron foundation Gooding Christie's will sell one of two S 680s James designed, with Akron's coordinates on the console, on November 20 and 21; he keeps the sister car. One of the two Mercedes-Maybach S 680 sedans that LeBron James designed for himself is going under the hammer in New York next month, with the sale price going to his family foundation in Akron, Ohio. Gooding Christie’s announced on October 14 that the 2027 model will be a charity lot at its Retromobile New York Auctions at the Javits Center on November 20 and 21. James keeps the near-identical sister car. “The chance to design my own customized Mercedes-Maybach was something I never even dreamed of as a young kid growing up in Akron,” James said in the auction house’s announcement. He added that the sale gives him a way “to uplift my community and the families we serve.” ## What James actually changed on the car The base car is the top of the Maybach range: a 6.0-liter V-12 making 621 horsepower. The personal touches came through Mercedes-Benz’s MANUFAKTUR Made to Measure personalization program. James picked an exclusive light ivory non-metallic paint and a blue Nappa leather cabin, which Mercedes calls “Stormy Weather Blue,” with porcelain contrast stitching. His “LJ” crown logo turns up throughout: on the front fenders, the headrests, the dashboard and the floorboards, plus a one-off Maybach badge that carries the crown. The most personal detail is on the center console, which is inscribed with the geographic coordinates of Akron. Mercedes donated the auction car to the LeBron James Family Foundation, so the foundation, not James, is the seller. ## Where the money goes: the Akron record so far Proceeds are earmarked for the foundation’s I PROMISE Program, which runs alongside the [I PROMISE School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Promise_School). A short timeline shows how that program has grown from an idea into a network of services: - **2011:** James, researching the high school dropout rate in his hometown, starts the I PROMISE initiative. - **2015:** The University of Akron, the foundation and JPMorgan Chase set up a scholarship offering free tuition to qualifying Akron public school graduates with at least a 3.0 grade point average. - **2018:** The I PROMISE School opens on July 30 in the former Akron Public Schools administration building with 240 third and fourth graders. The foundation put in an estimated $2 million in start-up costs. - **2022:** The public school reaches its full span of grades one through eight. - **Today:** The foundation says its program serves more than 1,400 Akron-area students, and it has added transitional housing, long-term affordable housing, job training and financial programs, homeownership help, and medical and behavioral health services. Measured against that first class, 1,400 students is roughly six times the 240 children who walked in on day one in 2018. ## The less flattering numbers The school is a district school, and the costs are public. Akron Public Schools pays its teachers, and the district has estimated that running I PROMISE would eventually cost about $8 million a year from its regular budget, mostly by shifting students, staff and money from other schools. That is four times the foundation’s start-up contribution, every year. Some families who qualified but lost out in the enrollment lottery objected to footing part of that bill. Results have been mixed. Early testing after the first year showed big gains from a very low base. In July 2023, though, state data drew scrutiny: none of the eighth graders entering in 2023 had tested proficient in math in the previous three years, and only 8% of students were proficient in English the year before. The state report card gave the school an F for achievement and an A for progress, the measure that tracks growth against students’ own past results. ## How the sale works Gooding Christie’s senior specialist Rupert Banner called the car a match between “the ultimate automotive brand” and “the ultimate NBA athlete.” The auction house’s announcement lists no estimate. The car goes on public view at the Javits Center from Thursday, November 19, through the end of the sale on Saturday, November 21, which is the date the foundation learns what the car is worth to bidders. ## Further reading - [Wikipedia: I Promise School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Promise_School) *Image: Cards84664, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons* *This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. [How we work](https://badiyaa.com/editorial-policy/).*