LeBron James told the world in 2020 that Black Lives Matter. He helped convince many who had never voted to go to the polls for good. He found several ways to continue to raise the lives of people in his hometown.
If that wasn’t enough, he won another NBA championship.
James’ performance on the field this year was spectacular again. A fourth NBA title and fourth trophy for the most valuable players in the NBA Finals were his, as he lifted the Los Angeles Lakers back to the top of the basketball world. And after a brilliant year, on and off the field, James was announced on Saturday as the winner of The Associated Press for the male athlete of the year for the fourth time.
“I still know what I’m doing on the field and obviously I’m giving my all for the game,” James told AP. “But now I can have a bigger impact from the floor, more than I can do on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people with the way I play basketball. But there are many more things I can do from the ground up to help cultivate people, inspire them, bring them together, empower them. “
The AP Award was first given in 1931. James’ fourth victory was the most equal with Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods for men. Three women have won the AP award at least four times; Babe Didrikson has won six times, Serena Williams has won five and Chris Evert has won four.
The female athlete of the year AP will be announced on Sunday.
No NBA player has scored more points or had more assists in 2020 than James. The only other player in your life who led the league in points and helps in the same calendar year? Himself, in 2018.
James also became the first player to be an MVP in the NBA Finals in three franchises. He passed Kobe Bryant in 3rd place on the all-time scoring list and did so the day before Bryant died in January last year in a helicopter crash; The last tweet Bryant sent was a congratulatory message to James.
“He’s the best player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of James in October. “And if you think you know her, you don’t know her until you’re around him every day, you train him, you follow his mind, you see his adjustments, you see how he leads the group. You think you know. You do not know “.
James finished with 78 points in the vote of a group of 35 AP clients and editors. Kansas City defender and current Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was a narrow second with 71 points. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was a distant third with 14 points.
James also the male athlete AP of the last decade, also won the annual AP award in 2013, 2016 and 2018. Three-time winner Michael Jordan is the only other basketball player to have won the AP award multiple times.
“He’s one of the biggest sports leaders,” Lakers goalkeeper Kyle Kuzma said of James.
This applies inside and outside the field.
James’ More Than A Vote attracted more than 42,000 volunteers to work in the polls for the November election, helped some regain their voting rights, and lobbied for the participation of young and black voters.
Black voters accounted for 11 percent of the national electorate, and 9 out of 10 supported incumbent President Joe Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a poll of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. Compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Biden attracted more voters to critical areas with a large black population, such as NBA cities such as Detroit, Milwaukee and Atlanta. It was huge.
“After the tragic death of George Floyd, everyone had the chance to see this and hear the story of Breonna Taylor, her tragic story and that of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia … my people are tired and I have arrived” , said James. “So I called for action, and with my platform, I thought I could get people to join me.”
He also focused, as always, on his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
The I PROMISE school, opened in 2018, now has over 450 students in grades three through six. When the school was closed due to the pandemic, James and his team made sure that students received warm meals at home, including full Thanksgiving meals. This year, an affordable housing project for 50 families was launched. Also this month, plans for the House of Thirty (an approval of the Akron area code) were announced, detailing how James will provide things like affordable family financial health programs, training and a community meeting space. .
“The pandemic has affected us all,” James said. “Regardless of your situation, no matter where you are in life, it was difficult. And the first thing I thought of, other than the interruption of the season, when the pandemic was, “What am I going to do for my kids behind my school?” “.
He’s already looking at 2021. The Lakers hope to be competitors again. His remake of “Space Jam” is expected to be released this summer. And James, who turns 36 on Wednesday, did not rule out playing basketball for the USA at the Tokyo Olympics for the team that will be coached by Gregg Popovich.
“It’s still possible,” James said. “It’s not a 0% probability,” I will say. I like coach Pop. “
But with the end of 2020, James allowed himself a moment to reflect on a year like no other.
“It’s a tribute to the people I work with, the people at my foundation, the sponsors who continue to support us and what we do and what we strive for,” James said. “It’s incredible. I can’t just sit here and say that when we stopped in March we thought all this was going to happen and that we would be in December at this time.
Still, here he is again.