LeBron James is the key. Nothing will change unless the major stars are willing to sacrifice.
In the Dunk Bait interview, Matt Barnes stated that there were rumors that a couple of Lakers and Clippers players that did not want to play. For the players to unite there are only four players that truly matter. They are as follows.
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The stars. Paul George narrated this video to the NBA fans honoring Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Throughout this discussion and Paul George touched on it in the video shows that the names and dates have changed but the problem still exists. Can the players refusing to play spark change? Yes. The 1964 All-Star protest shows that stars can provide positive influences that can span generations.
Then there was 1967, when another Laker legend decided to stand up for what’s right.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combined with star black athletes to support Muhammad Ali, who was vilified and blackballed for not serving in the Vietnam War. This is the support that Stephen Jackson is asking for to get justice for George Floyd and others that have been killed in the last few months.
Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes are living up to the name of their podcast wanting “All of the Smoke” meeting with local and state leaders using their platform to speak for the voiceless. But for this movement to go to the next level, they will NEED LeBron James and stars from other sports league to be in it for the long haul.
Jackson says that starts with pressuring the team owners and executives.
"“It’s time to hold them accountable, bro. Hold ya’ll [Team President] accountable. Hold ya’ll owner accountable because 9 out of 10 times, if they ain’t speaking with us, then they against us.” “They love you bringing all that money in, but why they ain’t speaking up when our kids get murdered or when our black men or black women getting murdered?” “The time is now, bro. Can’t play both sides.”"
There is always talk about LeBron James and his legacy. If he continues to speak out and is one of the rumored players that is willing to back away sacrificing a possible title for change, he would possibly be eligible to sit at the table of top athletes who sparked worldwide change. That would make him even more powerful than two or three NBA titles.
LeBron James, who Forbes previously named the World’s Most Powerful Athlete in 2014, has a social media reach that is unparalleled among American athletes. Right now, it is the “Black Lives Matter” movement’s most powerful resource.
With millions of followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, he has just as much of an information highway as most media networks.
If used correctly, the world will change.