LeBron James, one of two flag-bearers for the United States Olympic Team in Paris this past summer, endorsed Kamala Harris for President on Thursday. Last night, he answered a reporter’s question as to what the primary criteria was in making his decision.
“Having a daughter, wife, mother, what VP believes in when it comes to women’s rights, I feel like that endorsement is only right,” James said to reporters in Toronto, after he and his Laker teammates beat the Raptors 131-125. “Damn sure aren’t going the other way.”
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is obviously referencing the deeply unpopular Dobbs Decision, made by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade, a SCOTUS decision that had been the law of the land for a half-century. LeBron supports a woman’s right to choose, and since 2017, he’s been just as active off-the-court, regarding social issues, as he’s been on the court, still performing at a dominant level at age 39.
“I think LeBron can play until 45 if he wants to,” former NBA All-Star Baron Davis said in an exclusive with RG. “I know he loves Los Angeles, but in L.A. you have to win championships. That’s going to determine how many championships the Lakers win or whether they’re championship contenders.
“For LeBron, he’s playing to win championships.
“It’s a matter of when he feels like he’s done enough. He’s already done more than what we all expected. We all appreciate his gift and what he’s brought to this league.
“When the King is ready to retire, then we’re done.”
Indeed the four time winner of the NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP awards, and four time NBA Champion is just as relevant as ever at age 40. On the court, Lebron is still getting it done at both ends.
What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!! pic.twitter.com/tYYlTmQS6e
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 31, 2024
Off the court, through initiatives like his documentary series Shut Up and Dribble, LeBron utilizes the vast platform he has to advocate for social justice.
As you can see from the tweet above, when Lebron officially endorsed Kamala on Halloween, his tweet to an audience of 53,000,000 followers included a video condemning racism, bigotry and prejudice. It was retweeted by former President Obama. In addition to Lebron, numerous other leading NBA figures have spoken out to condemn Trump.
The list is very long and includes the likes of Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley, Mark Cuban, Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy, among many others.
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.