"Someone once said, shut up and dribble."
"NBA superstar LeBron James and his foundation are opening this school in Akron."
"I promise. I promise."
"I know the streets that they walk I know the trials and tribulations that they
go through because I’'ve been there."
So at this point LeBron James has done more for
education than Betsy Devos, done more and stolen less for charity
than Donald Trump and done more for inner city communities than
Ben Carson, some might say Washington should shut up and dribble.
Yesterday the Akron-born, self made man, yes self made, not Kylie Jenner self
made you know where you have a couple hundred million to start
off with but a man who rose from the ground up, unveiled a new
public school that his charitable foundation
- along with the Akron school system - helped build.
His recent act of generosity follows a lengthy career of charitable
contributions and working with inner city organizations to help
at risk youth around the country, you know all while
being arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
All while supporting a family,…all while managing a scandal-free
career despite his life being broadcast in front of the world from the age of what 13...
all while surpassing the continued unfair and seemingly unattainable expectations
set for him by the media.
LeBron’s school is set to offer free tuition, free uniforms, free transportation
within 2 miles, free breakfast, lunch, & snacks, guaranteed college tuition for every student
who graduates, food pantry for families, GED classes and job placement
services for parents, and free bicycles and helmets.
What is this guy, some kind of democratic socialist or something?
Hahaha
What LeBron James continues to do, at a time when athletes and celebrity figures
are told by figures on the right to stay in their lane, cannot be
measured by points or records.
LeBron James the role model surpasses even LeBron James the
basketball player which, when you think about it, is pretty
damn amazing considering he’s about as good at basketball as I
am at finding a way to wangle selfies into political conversations.
But despite everything he has done and continues to do for at risk youth around
the country, people like Laura Ingraham will always see him as “just an athlete” and
try to diminish his efforts.
When the reality is, people like her are simply upset that
today’s greatest role model is a black basketball player from
Akron, who came from nothing to become one of the greatest
sporting heroes this country has produced.
A stellar example of what it means to be a great American.
A man who represents his country by working to give
back to those who are less fortunate, to help offer those
in his community the kind of opportunities that didn’t exist
when he was growing up.
To show others that with the right work ethic and frame of mind,
greatness is attainable.
And it’s no surprise that the same organization that smeared James
and told him to “shut up and dribble,” had very little to say
on his monumental efforts to uplift his community.
That’s right while they had one article on his monumental efforts, they
focused more of their attention on his ‘anti-Trump’ rhetoric.
FYI LeBron saying Trump uses sports to divide us isn’t
anti-Trump- it’s the truth.
He’s the guy who ran on a platform of hate and called black
athletes “sons of bitches.”
But this what they do - they ignore the efforts of people like LeBron
and Kaepernick, while glorifying the efforts of white athletes like JJ Watt.
"and I see that magazine cover and I think if we want to go with a football
player houston texans jj watt,"
to portray a false narrative that black athletes do nothing
for those they are fighting for, when in reality they do more for
their community in one hour, than most politicians on both
side of the political sphere, do over the space of a year.
And I’ll never miss an opportunity to not to bypass the unequivocal
irony of the people who voted for a thrice married reality tv
star, telling athletes to stay out of politics.
But while they turn a blind eye we will continue to glorify the efforts
of Lebron, Kaepernick, Ashton Kutcher, Chance the rapper and
countless other celebrity figures who use their platform
to help others.
Lebron James is an American hero, and if your unabashed love for Trump clouds
your ability to see that, then it’s not Lebron that needs to
stay in his lane, it’s you that needs to open your eyes.