\n<\/p>\n
James worked directly with the Mercedes-Maybach Manufaktur Made to Measure individual customization atelier at corporate headquarters in Stuttgart to make the car his own. (Such services are available in the States as well.)<\/p>\n
Perusing thousands of available color options, he sought a soothing softer palette, selecting a bone-deep ivory for the exterior and an indigo stormy blue leather for the interior. He added a metal plate listing the birth dates of each of his three children\u2014LeBron \u201cBronny\u201d Jr.<\/a>, Bryce, and Zhuri\u2014onto all the doorsills so it would be the first thing he sees when he enters the car. He added an etched plaque on the console between the front seats featuring Akron\u2019s latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, beneath the letters LLTK,<\/em> for \u201cLong Live the King.\u201d<\/p>\n And his personal King James logo\u2014a blocky mirror-linked capital L<\/em> and J,<\/em> for his initials, with a crown atop their extended feet\u2014appears throughout the vehicle: as badges on the front fenders, in ribbed metal on the climate vents, embroidered on the headrests and floor mats, and even on the leather lumbar pillows in back. \u201cThat\u2019s super personalized,\u201d James says.<\/p>\n As individuated as the car is, it isn\u2019t exactly one of one. James and Maybach produced a second S 680, nearly identical to the one he spec\u2019d. This car will be auctioned off later this year to benefit his LeBron James Family Foundation and the I Promise educational initiatives it runs for at-risk students in his hometown.<\/p>\n LeBron James in his one-off Mercedes-Maybach S 680<\/p>\n <\/span>Mercedes-Benz Group<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to change the landscape of my community for the better,\u201d James says. \u201cAnd for the Mercedes-Maybach team to want to partner with me and to help me continue to make strides on impacting my community means everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n James\u2019s experiences behind the wheel began well before he had a license, at around nine years old. He says he would sit on his uncle\u2019s or his mom\u2019s lap, and \u201cthey\u2019re telling you to turn the wheel a little bit to the right, a little to the left, and they got the gas and brake.\u201d By 12 or 13, he was driving his uncle\u2019s Chevrolet Monte Carlo on his own.<\/p>\n When he earned his driver\u2019s license at 16, his mom got him a seven-year-old Ford Explorer SUV. But two years later, he was drafted into the NBA. So the first car he bought for himself was a luxurious BMW 7 Series, in forest green and tan, \u201cto match my high school colors, which I love,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n