LeBron James takes his talents to YouTube: the first video is special

In anticipation of his 24th NBA season, his first wearing a Philadelphia 76ers jersey, LeBron James has decided to bring his new passion to YouTube, launching an official channel entirely dedicated to his adventures on the golf course.

And the launch has been anything but quiet. In just 16 hours, LeBron James’ new YouTube channel has already surpassed 335,000 subscribers, while the first video has reached more than 706,000 views.

Impressive numbers considering the project has only just launched. But when LeBron is involved, even a new adventure away from the basketball court can quickly turn into something huge. Another project destined to take off and, most likely, set new records.

You enjoyed the 2016 reunion trip so much that I thought I’d give you something more. Welcome to my YouTube channel! Here I’ll take you through my life on and around the golf course. Let’s go!!!

LeBron James

And for his debut, he couldn’t have picked a better group of companions: Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, representing a sizable portion of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship team.

LeBron James launches his golf-focused YouTube channel

The first video, published Aug. 15 and running about 96 minutes, tells the story of the reunion organized to celebrate 10 years since the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title in 2016.

LeBron and some of his former teammates flew to Scotland for a few days of golf, wine, trash talk and inevitable memories of that run that went down in NBA history. The group also competed in a three-on-three game, with cameras following virtually the entire day.

They did not appear in the video, but Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert also took part in the reunion, while Kyrie Irving was unable to join his former teammates because of a prior commitment.

The decision to start with the 2016 Cavs was certainly no coincidence. That team remains tied to one of the most important achievements of James’ career: Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, becoming the first team in history to do so.

From “Who wants to spend all day on a course?” to golf mania

LeBron’s passion for golf is relatively recent, but it seems to have completely taken hold of him. James himself discussed it on the Mind The Game podcast with Steve Nash:

For years I heard people talk about golf fever and I thought, ‘That’s not going to happen to me. I don’t even like it. Who wants to be outside all day walking around?’ But it’s all true. I’m in it now. On my social media, one out of every two videos I get recommended is about golf

LeBron James

And behind this new passion is also a goal that goes beyond simply having fun. Speaking with Rich Kleiman on Boardroom Talks, LeBron James explained that he wants to use his popularity to make golf more accessible to younger generations, especially those growing up in environments where the sport can seem completely out of reach.

One of my goals is to open doors for kids who grow up the way I did, in inner-city neighborhoods. I’d like them to be able to go into a country club at seven, eight or nine years old, caddie, rent some clubs, have a coach and start playing golf

LeBron James

In other words, what initially seemed like nothing more than a hobby is becoming a true parallel project for LeBron, who through his new YouTube channel will bring friends and fans along to some of the most prestigious golf courses in the world.

Basketball, however, obviously remains at the center. At 41, James is preparing for his 24th NBA season and his first with the Philadelphia 76ers. His debut is already circled on the calendar: Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.