The Los Angeles Lakers accomplished their ultimate goal of winning the 2020 NBA championship, but they almost didn’t make it there and it had nothing to do with what was happening on the court.
Following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks made the decision to sit out their playoff game and the rest of the players ultimately followed suit in a powerful boycott.
Players held meetings together in order to decide what was next and of course LeBron James was one of the leaders whose voice was heard as the fate of the NBA bubble hung in the balance. There was a real chance that the season would shut down, but ultimately play resumed after many discussions, including some with the NBA and team owners about things players wanted changed.
In an interview with Astead W. Herndon of the New York Times, LeBron praised the NBA in how they handled the protest and listened to what the players were asking for:
“I think they handled it great. And the great thing is the partnership. The understanding — I don’t even want to just say understanding — them listening to us. They listened to the players. Like I said, we want change. To be able to have action and to have change, that’s what is important to us.”
There were numerous actions that took place in the aftermath of the protests as players. The players were able to get in touch with their local government officials and enact different laws and amendments while also getting funding for different programs to help their cause.
Players have continued to fight against racial inequality and the league has supported them wholeheartedly. Whether it was messages on the court or the jerseys, and a multitude of other things, the NBA has backed the players on this cause.
LeBron has long been one of the most outspoken athletes in history and he is going to continue to fight for these things, but the NBA supporting the players helped their cause in a big way.
LeBron ecstatic to share Wheaties cover
For as much as James has accomplished on the court, his work off of it may surpass his accomplishments on it. One of the biggest things James has done was the creation and opening of the I Promise School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
Helping to grow the next generation is something that is extremely important to LeBron and those kids were able to do something that very few were as they joined James on the cover of a Wheaties box.
“Seeing my kids on the back of a Wheaties box was one of the best moments of my life,” James said. “Seeing my mom unveil the box back in my hometown of Akron, Ohio, was some of the best news, videos and pictures that I’ve ever seen, that I could ever get.”
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