Lebron James told the world in 2020 that Black Lives Matter. It helped convince many who had never voted to finally go to the polls. He found more ways to continue to elevate people’s lives in his hometown.
If that wasn’t enough, he won another NBA championship.
James ’performance on the track this year was spectacular again. A fourth NBA title and the fourth most valuable player trophy in the NBA Finals were his as he lifted the Los Angeles Lakers back to the top of the basketball world. And after a year in which he was brilliant, on and off the track, James was announced on Saturday as the winner of The Associated Press’s Male Athlete of the Year award for the fourth record time.
“I still know what I’m doing on the court and obviously I give my all for the game,” James told AP. “But I can make a bigger impact from the floor right now, more than I can do on the floor. And I want to keep inspiring people with the way I play basketball. But there are a lot more things I can do from the floor. floor to help cultivate people, inspire them, unite them, empower them. “
The AP Prize was first awarded in 1931. James’ fourth victory was the most equal to Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods for men. Three women have won the AP award at least four times; Babe Didrikson won six times, Serena Williams won five and Chris Evert 4:00.
The AP Female Athlete of the Year will be announced on Sunday.
No NBA player 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 assists in the same calendar year? Himself, in 2018.
James also became the first player to be MVP of the NBA Finals in three franchises. He passed Kobe Bryant by No. 3 on the all-time scoring list, and he did so a day before Bryant died last January 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 it, you don’t know it until you’re close to it every day, you’re training it, you’re seeing its mind, you’re seeing the parameters, seeing how it leads the group. You think you know it. You don’t know. “
James finished with 78 points in the vote from a panel of 35 AP clients and editors. Kansas City quarterback and current Most Valuable Super Bowl player Patrick Mahomes finished in a narrow second with 71 points. Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton finished in a distant third place with 14 points.
James , Also the male AP athlete of the last decade, he 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 more than once.
“He’s one of the biggest sports leaders,” Lakers guard Kyle Kuzma said of James.
This applies on and off the track.
James’s More Than A Vote organization attracted more than 42,000 volunteers to work at polling stations for the November election, helped some regain their voting rights and lobbied for young voters and blacks participated.
Black voters made up 11% of the national electorate, and 9 out of 10 of them supported President-elect 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 in critical areas with large black populations, such as NBA cities like Detroit, Milwaukee and Atlanta. That turned out to be huge.
“The tragic death of George Floyd, everyone had a chance to see this and also hear the story of Breonna Taylor, her tragic story and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia … my people have had enough and I have had enough.” , 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 opened in 2018 now has more than 450 third- to sixth-grade students. When the pandemic closed the school, James and his team made sure the students received hot meals at home, even full Thanksgiving meals. This year an affordable housing project for 50 families was started. And this month, plans for the House of Thirty (a nod to the Akron area code) were announced, detailing how James will offer things like affordable family financial health programs, job training and a space of community meeting.
“The pandemic has affected us all,” James said. “No matter your situation, no matter where you are in life, it’s been difficult. And the first thing I thought about, in addition to the interruption of the season, when the pandemic came was’ What will I do for my children behind my school? ‘ “.
He’s already looking at 2021. The Lakers hope to be contenders again. His remake of “Space Jam” is expected to be released this summer. And James, who will turn 36 on Wednesday, has not ruled out playing for USA Basketball at the Tokyo Olympics on the team to be coached by Gregg Popovich.
“It’s still possible,” James said. “It’s not a 0% chance, I’ll say it. I love Coach Pop.”
But as 2020 ended, James allowed himself a moment to reflect on a year like no other.
“It’s a tribute to the people I work with, to the people at my foundation, to the sponsors who continue to support us and what we do and for what we strive for,” James said. “It’s amazing. I can’t sit here and say that by the time we stopped in March I thought all of this would happen and we would be at this point in December.”
However, here it is, again.