Congratulations
On the first day of black history month and in front of a capacity crowd at The Q, the NAACP’s leaders gathered for a special presentation at center court. As he listened to NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock describe what their coveted and storied Jackie Robinson Sports Award stands for, the magnitude of the honor gave its recipient a powerful dose of perspective. After the game, LeBron James reflected on the moment.
Reporter: LeBron, what does it mean to you to have your name connected to [Jackie Robinson] in this way?
LeBron: I’m not connected with Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and those guys. I’m just a byproduct of what they stood for.
Because of pioneers like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali, LeBron is able to play the game he loves and have a platform he can use to make a difference.
Through the LeBron James Family Foundation, LeBron strives to create generational change by providing the youth in Akron with the resources and the roadmap to a better future via education. His 24/7, 365-days-a-year commitment to this monumental effort has rallied an entire community around more than 1,100 inner-city public school students, a number that continues to grow year after year.
The NAACP Jackie Robinson Award is presented to individuals in sports for their high achievement in athletics and contributions in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement. Past recipients include Jim Brown, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Michael Jordan.
