There are two rules to joining the LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club. First, you must be a grandmother. Second, you must be a passionate fan of LeBron James.
The first rule isn't set in stone.
"We don't ask to see the kids,” says club founder Alder Chapman in a feature from The Wall Street Journal. "As long as they love LeBron."
Chapman first started the club in 2006. At the time, it was a formalized club for a group of women who had been rooting him on since his high school days in Akron, Ohio. The women in the group supported him as he went on to join the Cleveland Cavaliers, shining a light on that down-and-out franchise, not to mention the city.
But as James became associated with Cleveland, the LBJGFC reminded everyone what city he called home.
"They wanted to say he's from Cleveland, but he was from Akron," said Dorothy Jackson, a founding member and the former deputy mayor of Akron. "We don't have as many restaurants or professional teams. But this is home."
Today, the club has more than 200 members -- and those fans have stuck with LeBron even through his decision to bolt for Miami. Since he returned to Cleveland, the club has opened chapters in Georgia, New Jersey and New York.
In Akron, the group meets at a restaurant called Nicole's. They get together once a month, sometimes more often. They bring their membership cards and even knitting supplies, but once the game starts they're all locked in on James himself.
And James knows he's out there -- he's met Chapman before and has reached out to the club with free tickets to events and other simple gestures. The fact that he knows they're watching only strengthens the relationship.
And the grandmothers believe in LeBron: They believe a championship is only a few games away.