LeBron James, Presidential Candidate Endorser: While We’re Waiting

Two of the most influential individuals in modern day pop culture were within feet of one another for roughly 90 minutes on Saturday night, as a 6-foot-8-inch LeBron James towered over the rest of the general admission pit during the Cleveland stop of Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour.

There are many folks who choose to not like West—bravado and bombast among the most popular reasons—just as there are many who choose to dislike James. But much like it looks increasingly silly to dislike a four-time MVP, three-time NBA champion who also happens to be one of the most philanthropic athletes of this generation, categorizing West as anything shy of the most influential artist of the very same generation is treading on fool’s errand.

Derrick Roses and Anthony Davises and Steph Currys arrive and many want to proclaim them as the next Great One, but there’s James, year after year, using his two-way dominance to drown out the noise and not-so-quietly claim his position atop the NBA’s mountain. And where today’s pop stars attempt to distract audiences with a combination of grandiose light displays, multi-member bands, and wearable technology, West transformed his tour into a stripped down, bare bones stage large enough for one man, suspended above a general admission expanse of human beings, making all in attendance a part of the show.

For those who have yet to see the incredible shots of the Saint Pablo tour, it’s West on a stage no bigger than two ping-pong tables, suspended above the crowd on a track that allows him to traverse about the arena. But while most shows have the spotlight on the individual, this tour is much different. The lights are below the stage, casting on the sea of humanity that exists beneath. Where most artists have lights shining on them, rendering the crowd surrounding them as nothing more than a lyric-filled abyss, West opted to be the one who remained in the dark as most eyes were drawn to the waves being cast up by the extended arms below him.

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Waves don't die . . . #Cleveland #Kanye #KanyeWest #SaintPabloTour #StPabloTour #TLOP

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Tucked somewhere in that mass of sweaty human flesh below the West stage on Saturday night was James, flanked by teammates J.R. Smith and Richard Jefferson, enjoying the concert from the ground level. Others—Kyrie Irving and Jordan McRae among them—stayed in the suite perched above what would be the visitor’s bench had an NBA game been taking place. While this can be viewed as an athlete merely enjoying a concert, James being willing to head down to the general admission “mosh pit” (as he called it) was much, much more. We’re talking about a player who, up until two years ago, was one of the most private, insulated athletes in modern day. Who else had an “inner circle” before James arrived on the scene? This isn’t to say that James can be blamed (he’s an international star, for God’s sake), but how many individuals with James’ global stature—forget athletes, think bigger—would submerge himself among the commoners?

Anyone who has followed James over the last several seasons will tell you how different he has been since his return to Cleveland. Call it “maturity” if you wish. He’s doing more, ramping up his Foundation’s efforts in ways previously unseen by a professional athlete, but he’s saying more, too. Sure, his incredibly planned thoughts on J.R. Smith’s contract situation will be in the cross hairs of those who care about the transactional side of sport, but it’s the bigger picture that deserves more of the attention. During Media Day, it wasn’t James’ thoughts on pick and roll defense that folks were after. No one was asking the world’s greatest basketball player how he felt about the Eastern Conference landscape. They wanted to know how he felt about the non-violent protests being carried on through the NFL and WNBA, and what his plans were once the regular season rolls in.

A tone-setter for the NBA, James’ thoughts on matters transcend Cleveland. There’s a reason he was one of four athletes on a dark and stoic stage at this year’s ESPYS, urging for not just a behavioral change in the way of violence, but a redirection of the focal topic at large. This same concept carried through in his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick insomuch that the discussion should not involve the who—Kaepernick—as much as it should the why. Which is what makes James’ latest stance, his first-person essay which lays out his endorsement for Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States, that much more important.

Urban myth¹ claims Michael Jordan’s reasoning for not using his platform for the greater good hinged on shoe sales—the infmamous “Republicans buy sneakers too” trope. It was not until recently, well after Jordan’s playing days, that the legend was willing to throw his name in the ring with a fence-straddling press release claiming that he would be donating money. James’ essay wasn’t about what he was going to do as much as it was why. He admits to not knowing the grand purpose of his Foundation when it was set up, but over the years, his mission had become more clear. And to carry this mission forward, James believes that the policies set forth by Clinton—her work with public schools, health care, and children’s hospitals—make this endeavor that much more achievable.

The timing will be seen by some as curious given the Republican National Convention being held in Cleveland coupled with Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert hosting a Donald Trump-based fundraiser in Detroit just days earlier. And while James is undeniably the most calculated athlete on creation, the true beauty of America—the one James described in his thoughts about non-violent protests and the freedoms which we have been afforded—is that he isn’t at the social behest of anyone, let alone his employer.

There will also be those with a partisan tilt who choose to poke holes in James’ beliefs.² While other high profile endorsements have been of the anti-other guy mold, James’ essay never once mentions Trump. He admits to not being a politician,³ but understands his role as a United States citizen is not so much as to have all of the answers as much as it is voting for those who he believes does. Other athletes have tied their names to political parties as Steph Curry recently told the media he was voting for Clinton, and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is widely known to support Trump, but neither man is as important as James, and neither made their point as clear in the same way.

When James addressed the non-violent protests and his decision to stand for the national anthem, he did so by saying “That’s who I am—that’s what I believe in.” The “that” in question is American and all for which it stands. James has the benefit of being employed by a league that is easily the most progressive of the three major sports—MLB thinks newspaper writers need unions; the NFL ignores science. But he also has the benefit of being in a league where the individuals are more recognizable. That it’s a player-driven league could draw the ire of those who yearn of a corporate hierarchy, but the NBA earns revenue by the work of the inmates. That they run the asylum isn’t necessarily bad for business—they’re the ones with all of the endorsement power after all. If Corporate America is down with the cause, that James takes this freedom and shines a gigantic spotlight on it is even less so.

LeBron James doesn’t need to have all of the answers as much as he does the faith in a democratic process that, if the right person is put in charge, that person will steer the country in that direction.

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Much like West, it’s easy to take the words or actions that come from James and attempt to pin them on some less wholesome goal. To the cynics, the money spent by the LeBron James Family Foundation is a taxable write-off. To that same group, James’ thoughts on J.R. Smith is nothing more than a business owner looking to help his agent earn another pay day. His thoughts on the protests and the American political system, however, instill much more—the hope in a process which we have all learned to hold as an ideal afforded by our founding fathers, but one that has appeared more and more like a pipe dream with each passing day. As much as many will attempt to make it about the who in this instance, it’s never been more about the why.

After the show  on Saturday, James spent some quality time with West backstage where a group toasted to the tour and the Cavs’ championship. “This has been my man for a long time now,” James said, referring to 21-time Grammy winner. “Let’s continue to inspire each other.”

While mutual inspiration was the verbal endeavor on this evening, James has made it a point to want to inspire us—the masses—in hopes of continuing conversation about topics that range far beyond the game of basketball. With James’ latest step, arguably the biggest social stance of his career, the conversations will indeed take place. It’s just on us to have the right ones.

1. Which has since been debated… [↩]
2. Just check Twitter, where one person told me “no one cares what LeBron James thinks,” which trends anywhere between laughable and obscenely ignorant. Meanwhile, the endorsement itself has over 310,000 forms of engagement tied to it 11 hours later. [↩]
3. Something many in today’s society could learn to do… [↩]