LeBron James.
LeBron Jamesis a leader on and off the court.
The Los Angeles Lakers star — who’s preparing to start his 18th NBA season — has been namedTIME’s Athlete of the Yearin recognition of histireless activism, which includedspearheading the creationof More Than a Vote, a nonprofit aimed atthwarting voter suppressionand motivating Black voters to make their voices heard at the polls.
“LeBron is one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and I am honored to be painting his portrait,” Gordon said in a statement to the magazine. “He cares a lot about his family and even though he joined the NBA at a young age he still worked really hard to prove himself to the other players and it paid off.”
Gordon also shared a sweet interaction with James online, after the teenager said that he still couldn’t believe he had been given the opportunity to have his art featured.
“I still can’t believe my work made it to the cover of @TIME !! I’m so grateful! I love @KingJames and am honored!” he wrote.
“You can do anything you put your mind 2!” the star replied. “Love you too kid!”
In addition to becoming one of the most vocal proponents of social issues including theBlack Lives Matter movementduring his time in the NBA, James has made an effort to give back to his community,opening the I Promise Schoolin his hometown of Akron, Ohio, in 2018.
Speaking withTIMEabout what inspired him to take an active role in More Than a Vote — which was founded in the wake of national protests against racial injustice and police brutality that followed the death ofGeorge Floyd— James said that he felt it was important to “let people know what my mission was, what my passion was, and how we were going to deliver.”
According to the magazine, the nonprofit helped recruit over 40,000 election workers, including in cities like Atlanta and Philadelphia, which helped deliver victory to President-electJoe Biden— who was namedTIME’s Person of the Yearalongside running mate, Vice President-electKamala Harris.
James also took a leadership role during theNBA’s boycottfollowing the police shooting ofJacob Blakein Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Although the athlete said he was “very close” to leaving the 2020 NBA bubble, things changed after he and a small group of athleteshad a conversationwith players’ union president Chris Paul and former PresidentBarack Obama.
“In the Black community, we always hear the notion of ‘We want to see change,’ ” James toldTIME. “But we rarely actually go out and try to help and call for action, actually do it. So I can say that my Black people and my Black communities, they actually went out and said not only did they want change, they actually went out and did it.”
LeBron James.Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
James, whose leadership was also on display last season as he helped theLakers claim their 17th NBA championship, picking up his own fourth championship win in the process, went on to share that he has so much left to accomplish.
“It would never, ever go back to us just playing our respective sports,” he said. “It will never be that way for as long as I’m around. And hopefully I’ve inspired enough athletes that even when I’m gone, that legacy will carry on.”
source: people.com
