LeBron James has been increasingly outspoken on all fronts as the one-time teen phenom and Cleveland exile has grown into one of the NBA’s elder statesmen. James was an active supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, going so far as to write a formal endorsement in the Akron Beacon Journal and introduce the Democratic candidate at a rally two days before Election Day. James and some of his fellow teammates also opted not to stay in the team’s Trump-branded hotel when in New York to play the Knicks to protest the newly elected president.
Last week, James accepted the NAACP’s Jackie Robinson Award and gave an interview to the Hollywood Reporter expressing his disapproval of President Trump’s Muslim ban. “I am not in favor of this policy or any policy that divides and excludes people,” James told THR. “I stand with the many, many Americans who believe this does not represent what the United States is all about. And we should continue to speak out about it.”
“Diversity is what makes this country so great,” James continued. “We should all continue to speak up and fight for ideas that bring people together regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or any other differences … It’s important that we as athletes continue to use the platform we have to speak up for what we believe in.”
