Artist Dirk Rozich from Stark County had a moment of awe while drawing pictures of LeBron James, who is a giant in the world of sports.

Working on three drawings that are each 28 inches by 20 inches. Each one would be turned into a wall at the LeBron James’ Home Court museum at House Three Thirty in Akron.

He said, “It was very emotional when I finished the first painting.” “I believe that’s when I realized what I was doing. “Wow,” I said to myself.

Rozich said that the pressure to make a painting that the famous person and his museum would be proud of was a little scary because it was LeBron James. “There isn’t a better professional athlete in the world than LeBron.”

The 43-year-old from the North Canton area was first asked to paint a painting on the parking deck of the building. But the LeBron James Foundation liked Rozich’s earlier work so much—including a picture of former President George W. Bush that was commissioned—that it asked him to paint a large wall inside.

Rozich was touched by the group’s goal to help the community and he made the art on his own time.

He said, “Sometimes the work is more important than the pay.” “For sure, this was one of those projects.”

House Three Thirty is a building that can be used for many things. It has entertainment areas and community services like job training and helping families plan their finances. The building is connected to the I Promise School, which James opened as part of Akron Public Schools.

The LeBron James’ Home Court museum, which opens in late November and is called an “immersive multimedia experience,” is on the bottom floor of the building that used to be Tangier and has been restored.

Rozich was very happy with how the paintings turned out. “And it makes me proud to have had a small hand in building this institution (House Three Thirty and the museum).”

Nicholas Lopez, who is in charge of creative projects for the LeBron James Family Foundation, said that House Three Thirty shows how much James cares about Akron and Northeast Ohio, and it brings people from all over the world to his neighborhood.

“That dream of making Akron a place where everyone should come” is still alive, he said.

Lopez said of the House Three Thirty complex, “This is a place to be inspired, dream big, and reimagine how you can do things not only in your home but also in your business and in your community.” The complex also has family movie days and performers like comedian and University of Akron alum George Wallace on Jan. 12 and 13.