The NFL world, and world in general, lost a legend on Friday as Cleveland Browns‘ icon Jim Brown passed away at the age of 87. Los Angeles Lakers‘ star LeBron James took to Instagram to pay tribute to Brown, emphasizing how much Brown meant to him as a Cleveland athlete and native.

 

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“I am so grateful that I was able to call you my friend. I hope I can continue to honor your legacy with my words and actions. My prayers to your family. I know they are all incredibly proud of everything you did for our community!”

That is how LeBron ended his tribute to Brown, highlighting that he will carry on the legendary Browns running back's legacy for as long as he can. Earlier in the message, James talks about how much Brown meant to him as an athlete growing up in northeast Ohio.

“If you grew up in Northeast Ohio and were Black, Jim Brown was a God. As a kid who loved football, I really just thought of him as the greatest Cleveland Brown to ever play. Then I started my own journey as a professional athlete and realized what he did socially was his true greatness.”

It is clear that Jim Brown had a serious impact on LeBron James, and rightfully so. Brown did so much for both the sports world and for humanity in general, and his influence is palpable within the heartfelt words given to him by another generational athlete that followed in his footsteps.

As LeBron James continues in the NBA Playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers, he now has an extra motivation playing in honor of the memory of Jim Brown. ClutchPoints joins LeBron in saying Rest In Peace, Jim Brown.