LeBron James named 2020 Sportsperson of the Year
James and four other athletes were featured in this activist-centered issue of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated’s 2020 Sportsperson of the Year goes to five men and women who were champions in every sense of the word.
Breanna Stewart, LeBron james, Naomi Osaka, Patrick Mahomes, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif all demonstrated athlete activism during the course of this tumultuous year. But Lakers star, Lebron James is the first athlete to win the award three times: 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Stewart, Osaka, Mahomes, and Duvernay-Tardiff are all under 30 and early in their activism journeys. But James, 35, found his social and political voice long ago. With his efforts for racial justice, education reform and Black community empowerment, he has set the standard for socially conscious athletes.
Read More: Naomi Osaka: Trolls who said ‘keep politics out of sports’ inspired me to win
Mahomes, quarter back for the Kansas City Chiefs, was among a group of NFL stars who pushed NFL owners to acknowledge past wrongs, admit the league erred in its response to peaceful NFL protests of police brutality, and affirm that Black Lives Matter.
Osaka, a tennis star and U.S. Open champion used her fame and celebrity to confront police violence and racial injustice in eye-catching ways. She made a statement at the U.S. Open tournament, wearing seven different masks, each one printed with the name of a Black American who was killed in a situation of police violence. At the end of the tournament, Osaka told reporters that the point of her masks was “to make people start talking.”
As Lebron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 17th championship in franchise history, he was among a group of NBA players who used their platform to speak out on police brutality and racial inequality. He frequently addressed the multiple shootings of Black men and women and used his position to speak out on issues related to voter registration.
Read More: LeBron James, Barack Obama partner for conversation on Black voter turnout
More Than a Vote, an organization headed by James helped sign up over 10,000 volunteers to work the polls in effort to combat voter suppression.
With this honor, James surpassed legendary golfer Tiger Woods in total Sportsperson of the Year awards with Woods having won the honor in 1996 and 2000.
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