LeBron James continues the fight against 'stick to sports' crowd
It was two years ago when former Miami Heat player was told to "stick to sports."
The comment has only made him utilize his platform to speak on social injustice issues even more. On Tuesday, James, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, encouraged fellow athletes and entertainers to use their voice on non-sports issues.
"To my brothers and sisters in sports and arts," James wrote on Twitter. "We have incredible influence in our community. We need to use this moment to demand change. I gotta be honest…I struggle with what to demand because so damn much needs to change. But I’m starting with our right to vote."
James, who played in Miami from 2010-14 and won two championships, recently teamed with a group of celebrities, including Heat forward Udonis Haslem, to form an organization to help fight minority voter suppression. He has also been vocal on police brutality when George Floyd died after being detained by four Minneapolis police officers last month.
James has continued to express his opinion on a variety of issues despite being told to "shut up and dribble" by Fox News host Laura Ingraham in 2018. Ingraham was responding to James' criticism of President Donald Trump.
James has drawn the support of plenty public figures, including comedian Dave Chappelle and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"One of the things that impresses me about LeBron is the fact that he’s more than just an athlete," Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN's The Undefeated in 2018. "What he did with that school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio — he’s gonna take care of that school and send the kids to college if they qualify. That’s the type of thing you want in a citizen of your community
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