LeBron James is a formidable figure. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is 2.06 meters tall and weighs about 114 kilograms. The beard of the self-proclaimed king has reached a majestic length during the interruption of the NBA as a result of the corona pandemic – and now also consists of some gray hair.
Perhaps his answer to the question of how he spent the long season break was also surprising due to his dominant aura: “It was the first time in my life that I hadn’t seen my mother for such a long time. That was extreme for me. ”35-year-old James, you have to know, is the only child of his single mother Gloria.
The athlete from Akron, Ohio, who had often been the mouthpiece of players in the past few years, looks more thoughtful than ever in the days before the restart of the world’s best basketball league.
LeBron James ensures that the restart of the NBA primarily focuses on political issues
Source: dpa
With the Los Angeles Lakers, the king wants to put on the master crown for the fourth time in the dream world Disney World. But the aging star, still the most dazzling figurehead in the league, is on another mission. When James puts on his purple and gold jersey, he’s not only a basketball icon, he’s also an activist.
The case of Breonna Taylor
Since returning to the floor, he and many other players have made every effort to ensure that months after the first demonstrations in the United States continue to focus on the social debate about racism and social inequality. “The same energy we have on the pitch that we have for Breonna Taylor,” said James last. The 26-year-old African American was killed by eight bullets in a controversial police house search in March.
The clever marketing department of the NBA sells the restart under the catchy motto “WholeNewGame”. In fact, a lot has changed since the league ended in March, not just from a sporting perspective.
In addition to the Taylor case, George Floyd’s violent death also got the Black Lives Matter movement rolling. Many NBA professionals joined the protest trains in their hometowns and did not hold back their opinions. First of all James.
22 teams in Orlando
In the sports complex in Orlando, 22 teams will compete for the title from next night under the strictest hygiene measures. After eight games, the 16 participants in the play-offs have been determined. Some of the games will be played on three fields at the same time, and the champions should be chosen no later than October 13th.
The game is played in Disney World under strict hygiene measures
Source: AP / Ashley Landis
James is currently using the basketball stage especially for his message. His request in the Taylor case was impressive after the lost friendly against the Dallas Mavericks: “I want the police officers who committed this crime to be arrested.”
Instead of the comeback of the championship candidate, the defeat or the duel for the title as the most valuable player, it was all about the issues of racism and police violence against African Americans. “When he speaks, the whole world listens,” said James’ teammate Anthony Davis, who commented almost exclusively on it, almost in awe.
69 million followers on Instagram
James has proven several times that his attitudes are irrefutable to him even in the general public and that he does not waver an inch in a headwind. No matter how polarizing the topics may be.
When Drew Brees described the kneeling of the US anthem as “disrespectful” in an interview, James pilloried the New Orleans Saints star quarterback on Twitter. Brees soon rowed back and apologized for his “thoughtless” words.
The Lakers star is aware of its special position in US sports. And his responsibility. 46.8 million people follow him on Twitter, and 69 million on Instagram. His socio-political posts include supportive reactions from dark-skinned Hollywood stars like Halle Berry or Jamie Foxx. Comments asking him to shut up and play basketball only seem to spur James on. “I’m louder than ever.”
The Germans are also making their mark
The NBA, which is already considered the most liberal of all major US leagues, has dedicated itself to the topic as a whole and wants to use the great need for basketball in many US households. The league has created a list of words and slogans that professionals can wear on their jerseys instead of their surnames for the rest of the NBA season, alerting them to important topics.
Maxi Kleber and the Dallas Mavericks have come up with a special campaign to support the protests against racism and police violence
Quelle: dpa/David Zalubowski
“We sat down as a team and decided that we would all have ‘equality’ on the jersey. But everyone in their own language, ”said Dallas’ German international Maxi Kleber recently. Because equality does not quite convey the meaning of the English word, he chose equality. “It almost didn’t fit on the jersey.”
Moritz Wagner of the Washington Wizards will come up with the word “Vote”, his teammate Isaac Bonga will have “Freedom” on the jersey. Dennis Schröder of the Oklahoma City Thunder plans to go on the field with “Black Lives Matter”.
WNBA professionals leave the hall
In addition to the lines necessary for the game and a large NBA logo in the middle, the parquet will also show the slogan in black capital letters. The efforts of the NBA appear striking at first glance, but the test games in the “Bubble” have shown that those responsible are serious about their support. On the other hand, many stars would have considered taking part in the rest of the season even more intensively than they already had because of health concerns.
And so, not only with James, but with many professionals, answers to the journalists’ typical questions about the progress of the preparation or impressions from the test games currently very often begin with comments on the non-arrested police officers who were involved in Taylor’s death.
The women of the WNBA, who also play their season in Florida, have even gone one step further. At the start of the league, the players from New York Liberty and Seattle Storm left the field towards the catacombs when the first notes of the anthem sounded.
“Kneeling does not seem sufficient to us to protest,” New York’s Layshia Clarendon explained. “I don’t want to hear the hymn, I don’t want to approach it. Because it’s grotesque that justice and freedom just don’t apply to everyone in the same way. ” James and other NBA stars showed solidarity with the women, for example by wearing orange sweaters with the WNBA logo in front of their own games.
Hunt for title number four
In the first competitive game after the Corona break, the Lakers meet their city rivals. The Los Angeles Clippers are also considered a candidate for the title. But James should be even more motivated than the model athlete was in his 16 years in the league anyway. The fourth championship title would be the conciliatory conclusion of an eventful year for the superstar.
In addition to his social engagement and the pandemic, he was also concerned with the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. In memory of his friend, who died in a helicopter crash in February, James still wears a small ribbon with the number 24 on his middle finger.
“Every year has its challenges and hurdles. You have to adapt and grow mentally. The mentality with me has not changed, even though we have the pandemic and the long interruption of the season, ”said James, confirming his sporting ambitions.
Two stars among themselves: James and Anthony Davies are to lead the Lakers to the title in the NBA
Quelle: AP/Mark J. Terrill
Life in the NBA bubble, the upcoming games without clapping and booing the spectators, probably months without his wife and children – all of that weighs on his broad shoulders. James does not want to be stopped by this.
“Everyone asks me how it is in the bladder and how it is going and I always say: It is 2020. Nothing is normal in 2020. Nobody knows whether it will ever be the same again. But you adapt and find a way, ”assured James. “That’s what life is about.”
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