INDEPENDENCE, OHIO– As the Cavaliers take on the Warriors on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, LeBron James reflected on the legacy of Dr. King following the team’s shootaround on Monday morning.
“I think it’s unbelievable what the NBA has done,” James said. “To be able to have this many games, a lot of great games today, on such a great day. For a man who stood for more than himself.
“You always hear people saying, ‘risking their life.’ He actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us to be able to live in a free world and for us to be able to have a voice, for us to go out and be free no matter your skin color, no matter who you are, no matter the height and size and the weight or whatever the case may be, wherever you are, he had a vision and he took a bullet for all of us. Literally. In the rawest form that you could say that. He literally took a bullet for us.”
Along with reflecting on King’s legacy, James discussed visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where King was shot and killed on April 4, 1968.
James also used the time to comment on President Donald Trump, whose rhetoric he has repeatedly criticized since Trump’s election in November 2016.
“And for us to stand here even though we’re trying to be dividing right now by somebody, today is a great day for people to realize how America was built and how we all have to stand united in order to be at one,” he said. “Especially as Americans because we believe, we all know and we all believe, this is the greatest country in the world.”
“We are in a difficult state right now as Americans as well with the leader of our country,” James continued. “But us, like I said, no matter the religion, no matter the shapes and sizes, we all have to continue to come together and shine a brighter light on, you know, I mean, [I don’t want to] use the word stupidity, but that’s basically what it comes down to.”
But more than anything, James hopes that his own activism is making a difference.
“Well I hope I could make him proud or made him proud,” James said. “Just taking what he was able to give to us and give us that type of empowerment, give us that type of strength to be able to go out and talk about things that really matter. Be able to live for something that’s more than you as an individual. So hopefully I would be one of those guys that made him proud. Hopefully I’m, making him proud still with him looking down on us.”
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