LeBron James' Kindergarten Teacher's Daughter Praises Him with Signs at His Home

Jennifer Pennington, the daughter of LeBron James' kindergarten teacher, placed encouraging signs outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers star's home in Ohio as a response to racist graffiti written on the gate outside James' residence in Los Angeles last week.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, the signs read "Hero," "Role Model," "Mentor," "Humanitarian," "Leader," and "Good Samaritan" and were placed across the street from James' driveway.

"It just seemed like the right thing to do to combat the evil, combat the hate in the world," Pennington said. "The first thing that came to mind was, 'Hero.' I could have made [a] ton of signs, but I thought I just wanted to do a few just to get the message out."

Police confirmed vandals wrote a racial slur on the gate of James' home last Wednesday. The four-time NBA MVP addressed the situation in a news conference a day before Game 1 of the NBA Finals. 

“No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is—it’s tough,” James told reporters. “And we got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African-Americans until we feel equal in America.”

“If this incident that happened to me and my family today can keep the conversation going and can shed light on us trying to figure out a way to keep progressing and not regressing, then I’m not against it happening to us again,” James continued. “I mean, it’s as long as my family is safe.”

The culprits in the case have not been apprehended, though an investigation is ongoing. James has been increasingly outspoken on societal issues in recent years, including comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, support of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and criticism of ongoing gun violence in the United States.

"I think LeBron is an inspiration to people," Pennington said. "Nobody in this world is perfect, but he is doing remarkable things. He is amazing. As someone who has the resources that he has, he holds his head up high.

As a young kid, we watched him grow up, and the spotlight hit him and he handled himself with grace. I have a new baby girl; if my baby girl has the same characteristics and qualities that LeBron does, then I'll be a happy mom that I raised someone good."

James' foundation has also been a supporter of the Akron public school system, where Pennington serves as a middle school English and language arts teacher.