LeBron James put up another stellar performance in the All-Star Game last night. However, one of the biggest storylines heading into the game concerned a matter away from the court as he was the center of attention after Fox News host Laura Ingraham issued some very strong comments toward James.
Andres Kudacki/The Associated Press
James issued back a stern response stating that he can’t just allow for his public platform to go to waste. During an interview on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” the 33-year-old doubled down on that.
“I will not shut up and dribble. I owe it to my peers. I owe it to my fans. I owe it to the youth and I owe to y’all and everybody that laid the path to get to this point. I was at courtside and we had a timeout and I seen Dr.J, Kareem, Bill Russell, and Jerry West. I just thank them. We all know what Kareem, Russell, and all those guys went through in a time where it was ‘no you’re not allowed to say that. Shut up and dribble.’ I can’t sit here and allow that to happen because what they went through. It would have been the same to tell Jackie Robinson to shut up and slide into home base or Jesse Owens just shut up and go triple jump. I can’t do that because there are some many people looking up to me and so many that is going to come after me. I got to continue to the path.”
Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
James has a clear recognition of what the other great athletes before him such as Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to go through to have their voices heard beyond the realm of basketball. The NBA has provided him the platform to speak to millions and to help counteract the amount of misplaced hatred and ignorance that is out there.
This will only help to further fuel James to stay vocal and involved in the community to spread a positive message. He is in a position to make a difference with his voice and actions that he looks more than ready to embrace a greater degree from this point onward.