During a year where he won a championship and form a coalition of the nation’s most famous athletes to use their celebrity to fight voter suppression, LeBron James is being rightfully recognized for all he has done in the past year.
Earlier this week LeBron James was named one of Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson’s of the Year for 2020 and on Thursday, Time magazine announced LeBron James as their 2020 ‘Athlete of the Year.’ The reasons were that among LeBron’s moves to help make it easier for Black citizens to vote in a variety of American cities, James also dispelled the notion that caring about such things is in any way a “distraction,” according to the profile’s author, Sean Gregory.
It was James, heir to Jordan on the court and in the boardroom, who established a new paradigm, in which commercial clout exists alongside political principle. He remains one of the world’s top pitchmen, endorsing Nike, AT&T, Walmart and other major brands. And he has laid waste to the dated notion that political and social engagement is some sort of distraction for athletes. In 2020, James led the NBA in assists, for the first time in his career, before winning the NBA championship and his fourth Finals MVP award, at age 35. Athletes can now bring their full humanity to their games, insisting that their identities be recognized and rejecting the notion that their athleticism is all that matters.
James has been incredibly successful both on the court and in the business world in 2020, but the biggest reason he has received as much recognition as he has is that he’s used those successes to look out for people who once struggled in life as he did.
[lawrence-related id=36320,36318]