LeBron James told the world in 2020 that black life matters. He helped persuade many who had never voted to go to the polls in the end. 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 MVP trophy in the NBA Finals were his, while he lifted the Los Angeles Lakers back to the basketball world. And after a year in which he was brilliant, on and off the field, James was announced on Saturday as the winner of The Associated Press award for the man of the year athlete for the fourth time.
“I still know what I’m doing on the floor and obviously I’m giving everything to the game,” James told AP. “But I can have a bigger impact on the floor right now, more than I can on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people the way I play the game of basketball. But there are so many things I can do upstairs for to help cultivate people, to inspire people, to bring people together, to empower. “
The AP Award was first given in 1931. James’ fourth victory went to Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods for most 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 four.
AP Women’s Sportswoman of the Year 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 his life who led the league in points and assists in the same calendar year? Himself, in 2018.
James also became the first player to be the NBA Finals MVP for three franchises. He passed Kobe Bryant in 3rd place on the all-time scoring list, doing so the day before Bryant died in January last year in a helicopter crash; Bryant’s last tweet was a congratulatory message to James.
“He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of James in October. “And if you think you know, you don’t know until you’re around him every day, you train him, you see 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 voting for a group of 35 AP clients and editors. Kansas City Chiefs and current Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was a narrow second with 71 points. Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula 1 champion, was a distant third with 14 points.
James – also the male AP athlete of the last decade – also won the annual AP award in 2013, 2016 and 2018. Michael Jordan, a three-time winner, is the only other basketball player to have won the AP award in May. many times .
“He’s one of the greatest leaders in the sport,” Lakers goalkeeper Kyle Kuzma said of James.
This applies inside and outside the field.
James’ “More Than One Vote” organization drew more than 42,000 volunteers to work in the polls for the November election, helped some regain their voting rights, and pressured black voters to vote. young people.
“The tragic death of George Floyd, everyone had a chance to see this and also heard the story of Breonna Taylor, her tragic story and that of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia … my people are tired and I have arrived, “James said. “That’s why 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 that it opened in 2018 now has over 450 students in the third to sixth grades. When the pandemic closed the school, James and his team made sure that students received hot meals delivered to their homes – even full Thanksgiving meals. An affordable housing project for 50 families broke out this year. Also this month, plans for House Thirty (an approval of Akron’s area code) were announced, detailing how James will provide things like affordable family financial health programming, vocational training and a meeting space. Community.
“The pandemic has been tough for all of us,” James said. “Regardless of your situation, no matter where you are in life, it was tough. And the first thing I thought of, other than the end of the season, when the pandemic was “What am I going to do for my kids back in mine? [hometown] in my school? ‘”
He is already looking at 2021. The Lakers expect 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 again for US basketball at the Tokyo Olympics on the team that will be coached by Gregg Popovich.
“It’s still possible,” James said. “It’s not a 0% chance, I’ll say that. 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, I thought all of this was going to happen and that we would be in December by now.”