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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is in the twilight of his NBA career. However, the 39-year-old still has plenty of work to do to add to his legacy.
James explained how he hopes to be remembered, via The Shop.
How does @KingJames want to be remembered? 💭👑
The Shop Live From Paris is out now on our YouTube channel. Presented by @Nike. pic.twitter.com/Dp1X4O9ngG
— The Shop (@TheShopUN) September 2, 2024
“From time to time, I do think about how do I want to be remembered, and I hope that it's not just the game of basketball,” James said. “You know, I feel like if it's just the game of basketball, that people, you know, talk about me in the sense of I think I've kind of failed my mission. So, you know, the things that I do in my community, the way myself and Savannah raised our kids, you know, my relationship with my single parent mother, you know, my friendship with my guys, being able to help people from my hometown.”
James has used his platform to speak out against racial injustice, open schools in Akron, Ohio, and mentor athletes. The four-time champion intends to keep doing those things after he's done hooping.
“If those conversations don't hit the barbershop, if they don't hit forums or whatever the case may be, then I feel like my mission wasn't completed,” James continued. “And I'm not done, I'm old as f*ck in basketball terms, but I'm super young in life.”
Has James done a good job using his platform to make the world a better place?
LeBron James must keep using his platform on the Lakers
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James has used his voice to make a difference, but he's not a true activist, via ESPN's Howard Bryant.
“When he chooses to lend his name and resources to a given cause — voter registration, for example — his presence can produce tremendous results,” Bryant said. “When he chooses not to, or waits to speak, as he did after 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by Cleveland police in November 2014 and he initially said nothing, the activists continued the work of protest without him. In 2019, when the NBA was caught in the middle of protests against the Chinese government by activists in Hong Kong during the league's exhibition tour of China, James was not an activist. He was a businessman.”
As a professional athlete, activism isn't James' primary responsibility. It's understandable for a top athlete to prioritize his craft and business instead of world issues.
However, when James refused to side with the pro-democracy Hong Kong protestors, it showed that he was unlikely to sacrifice a business opportunity in favor of a social cause. The NBA's expansion into the region presented a chance for the former Cleveland Cavalier to grow his brand.
At the same time, that's only one speed bump amid a sea of good that James has done. As “The King” admitted, though, he needs to keep speaking out on issues to be remembered in the way he desires.
