Russell Westbrook won many hearts when he announced the decision to build 180 affordable housing units in South Central, California. As someone born in Long Beach, 16 miles away from South Central, this is Russ’ way to give back to the community. Of course, this move has earned him various plaudits from fans. An X user named Legion Hoops dubbed him the “Hometown Hero”.
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Westbrook has spent three years in Los Angeles. He has been close to his birthplace and, recently, decided to cherish his Californian heritage. As he is receiving praise, his Western Conference rival and another Californian resident Stephen Curry is receiving flak.
Fans are pointing out how Curry and his family once spoke against the construction of a 16-unit housing development just an acre away from his home in Atherton. Located in San Mateo County, Atherton has regulations that permit only one single-family home in an acre area while also outlawing sidewalks.
However, in 2023, the authorities decided to build multifamily affordable housing units in the town. Apart from Curry and his family, World Wide Web pioneer and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen joined the call to restrict the building of housing units. In an open letter with various other Atherton residents, they argued that it would cause traffic congestion and pave the way for crime and disorder.
Admitting that this is the widely criticized “not in my backyard”(NIMBY) approach, they urged the authorities to discontinue the plan. Owing to their security concerns, the administrators are devising a plan to build less dense housing units. While Curry’s actions have been criticized, other stars such as LeBron James usually find themselves in a positive light when it comes to social upliftment.
LeBron James is known for giving back to the community
As someone who was raised by a single mother, Gloria James, with a rather poverty-stricken childhood, LeBron James has been a social pioneer in the Akron community. Apart from building the “I Promise Schools” for the at-risk youngsters of the community, he has also helped pave the way for a state-of-the-art housing complex.
In 2021, LeBron James’ I Promise Foundation partnered with East Akron authorities to build a housing complex for 50 families. They aim to improve Akron’s underprivileged students’ lives both on and off the school.
Apart from LeBron James, his former Miami Heat teammate Udonis Haslem is also an active community leader. In 2023, the University of Florida alum partnered with Magellan and bought 6.3 acres of land to build working-class-priced housing units for 200 families.
Having been in Miami from his childhood to his hooping career, Haslem knows the city’s ins and outs. Before building these units, the brownfield site will have to go through a cleanup to get rid of hazardous substances. It seems Haslem and Bron hold their hometowns in high regard and want to ensure that at least some sections of the population have quality and affordable housing.
