24 Heures du LeBron: NBA Star to Start 100th Legendary Le Mans Race
Laker's star LeBron James will be the official starter of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for some reason.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the biggest races in the history of motorsports; Only the Indy 500 and Monaco GP rival its prestige. It's wherelegacy automakers like Ferrari, Porsche, and Ford pit their best efforts against one another. This year marks the centennial anniversary of the iconic race, which is a big deal by any stretch. Considering the above factors, you would think that would be plenty to get eye balls squarely pointed at screens when the green flag drops, right? Well, it seems that the race promoters think that they still need a bit of star power to bring more attention to the day-long race.
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ESPN reported that Laker's forward and four-time NBA champion LeBron James will be the official starter for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. You may be confused by this but to us it's as clear as day. The names are too damn similar to pass up the obvious marketing opportunities. Who wouldn't want a "24 Heures du LeBron" poster signed by the man himself? Besides, LeBron James is an international celebrity beyond just basketball. The 38-year-old did turn in an Oscar-worthy performance in2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy,and his refusal to pay for Pandora is an inspiration to us all.
If you're looking for further automotive and motorsport connections, we don't doubt that James has an impressive car collection including a sweet 2015 Kia K900. Additionally—if you go by six degrees of Kevin Bacon rules—he has an ownership connection to the RFK Racing NASCAR team. Though, we'd argue he's not the first celebrity that comes to mind when thinking about motorsports. I mean Homer Simpson designed a whole car once, where's his invite? Seriously though, we have no problem with James waving the green flag as long as he does a better job of it than Apple CEO Tim Cook did.
If you want to see how it plays out for yourself,look no further than MotorTrend TV and MotorTrend+ as both channels will be broadcasting the race live all weekend. You can also check out the MotorTrend Le Mans FAQ explainer for more information about the great event.
ATTENTION LE MANS FANS!Once again, MotorTrend+ as well as the MotorTrend TV channel will be the EXCLUSIVE SPOT IN THE U.S. and Canada. As the exclusive home of the 2023 Le Mans race, MotorTrend+ will bring fans unprecedented access to the entire 24-hour spectacle, including practice and qualifying beginning on Wednesday, June 7, the green flag at 9:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. PT) on June 10, and the checkered flag after a full day of furious on-track battles. In addition, MotorTrend+ users will be able to view the from the dashcams of multiple competitors (some 16 in all), and other special presentations will be available to access prior to and during the Le Mans weekend.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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