Today is apparently an anniversary of sorts. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was told to “Shut Up and Dribble” last year and it led to an important discussion.

It's impossible to argue with James on the point that everyone should be allowed to have a voice. It doesn't matter who you are or what your profession is, you're allowed to have an opinion.

“We are so much more than what our occupations say or what our name tags say” is a great line. Just because someone is a basketball player doesn't mean they can't talk about something other than basketball. That's the same way for everyone, as a doctor can talk about more than medicine and a banker can talk about more than money.

James said it was “at that very moment” that he knew it was bigger basketball. It's true too. Everything James says it put under a microscope and he has one of the biggest platforms in the world.

That's something he'll have to deal with for the rest of his life. This isn't something that will go away in a few years when James retires. He's one of the (if not the) greatest players of all-time. No matter how you feel about him, it's impossible to deny his greatness.

He's someone that will always have a spotlight. People will always care about what the great LeBron James has to say when it comes to a lot of different topics, not just basketball.

He seems prepared to take on that responsibility and will be using his stage to bring light to issues and provide a platform for people to discuss.

It's hard to ignore issues going on in the world, and there's really no reason to actively try to ignore them. No matter what your opinion is on something you have the right to have it.

It's good to see that LeBron James understands that and wants to make sure everyone knows their voice matters.