S O
T Y
has inspired other athletes to take stances that
support the America that they want to live in. In
August, James and the rest of the Lakers joined a
Bucks-instigated strike of the 2020 playoffs after
the police killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
Teams, even leagues, uniting to protest injustice
might never have happened if not for the inspira-
tion of LeBron.
In September, a member of the LA Galaxy II,
a club in U.S. soccer’s second division, uttered
a racial slur against San Diego Loyal defender
Elijah Martin. In protest, the Loyal forfeited
the 1–1 game. What made this so remarkable
is that the team acted swiftly and in unity, to
reject all bias. To me, that is the true legacy of
LeBron James: that entire teams, not just indi-vidual athletes, will publicly denounce prejudice,
no matter what form it takes.
Some might claim it’s easy to be bold when
you’re successful, to preach from a pulpit built
on stacks of cash and endorsement deals. They’re
wrong. Ask Colin Kaepernick, who was blackballed
by the NFL for his outspokenness. Or look at Ali
himself, who had his heavyweight title stripped
and faced years in prison. Success gave LeBron
the opportunity to speak out, but it was his own
courage that made him seize that opportunity,
knowing that discussing hot-button issues like
systemic racism and police brutality risked his life
and the lives of his family. Think about how he and
his family must have felt when someone wrote the
n-word across the gate of his Los Angeles home.SP
OR
TS
PE
RS
ON(^) OF
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EA
R
DA
VID
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UT
HO
L E B R O N J A M E S
BUBBLE
WRAP
James & Co.
ended their
COVID-19-
sequestered
run with
the Lakers’
17th title.