King James has conquered the New York Times bestseller list.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, who many consider the best basketball player in history, topped the newspaper’s children’s picture book list with I Promise, illustrated by Nina Mata.

A reviewer for Kirkus called the book “sincere and wholehearted,” while at NPR, critic Juanita Giles wrote, “I Promise is a beautiful book.”

The book was inspired by the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, which is funded by the LeBron James Family Foundation.

“Kids and families are going through a lot,” James told the Times. “I hope this book can bring them some hope and positivity, and encourage them to keep pushing, because we will make it through this tough time.”

I Promise is the first of two books James is publishing with HarperCollins. The press will release a middle-grade novel by the athlete in 2021.

James is the co-author, with Buzz Bissinger, of Shooting Stars, about his high school basketball team, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron. A Kirkus reviewer called that book “a simple but moving story about the double-edged sword of precocious athletic talent and the redemptive power of teamwork.”

James celebrated his book’s debut on the Times bestseller list on Twitter, writing, “So AMAZING!!!! Wow wow wow. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Means so much to my kids and their families at the @IPROMISESchool.”

Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.