Perhaps the most actionable thing that came out of the NBA’s brief work stoppage inside the bubble was a commitment from the league that they would try to get all of their teams to commit to using their currently empty arenas as potential voting sites. This has been a central goal of the “More Than A Vote” nonprofit started by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, which has been supported by other athletes and entertainers.
With the NBA announcing their hopes just yesterday, the Lakers announced just before their Game 5 against the Blazers that the Staples Center will also be a voting center for the 2020 election. LeBron shared the team’s message with much excitement less than 90 minutes before the Lakers take the court to close out the Portland Trail Blazers, up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series.
Homecourt!!! Change isn’t made sitting on the sidelines 🙏🏾✊🏾👑@morethanavote #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/1kRZsA2Yrs
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 29, 2020
Education was the first way in which LeBron James tried to affect social change, but over the past few months, fighting voter suppression and making sure Black people have greater access to democracy has become another important aspect of his social justice goals.
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