King James Gospel
Fansided

LeBron James’ Recent Accolades And Achievements

By Quenton S. Albertie

Nov 11, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard Marcus Thornton (15) in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard Marcus Thornton (15) in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown, a member of the last team to win a major Cleveland championship hands the Larry O
Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Former Cleveland Browns player Jim Brown, a member of the last team to win a major Cleveland championship hands the Larry O /

Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson Of The Year

Is it something to do with their birthdays? Both James and Tiger Woods, born on December 30, won SI’s Sportsperson of the Year award, an award that only these two have won twice.

James won this award not only by overcoming historically insurmountable odds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors three straight times to secure their first league championship in franchise history but delivering on his promise to do so after “The Return”. Ending Cleveland’s 52-year title drought uplifted the city and revived faith in the Cleveland sports bases chances to reach the championship round. Even the Cleveland Browns believed in themselves because of James while the Cleveland Indians made it to the World Series.

In this time, James was also one of the iconic voices standing against police brutality and gun violence as evidenced by his ESPY’s speech alongside his best friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. Not long after this speech was given, Wade’s cousin was shot and murdered in Chicago and Anthony began to lead town halls to help bridge the divide between the police and the people they’re sworn to protect. James also stood for America at a time when many black athletes kneeled during the National Anthem to voice their displeasure with the recent acts of police brutality and the lack of consequences for those responsible for the deaths of unarmed black men. James response shed a new light on how to handle a tense and divisive issue in an ailing America. His social activism and iconic status even made him a readily made spokesman for Hillary Clinton on her campaign trail.

James, who didn’t attend college due to the prep-to-pro rules that allowed him to be drafted straight out of high school, also started a scholarship foundation for the University of Akron while constantly being a ready mentor for student-athletes at Ohio State University. James even went to China to show the young athletes what it takes to make it in the NBA as the league tries to expand globally.

There might not be a bigger activist-athlete than James, which is probably why he won the award in the first place. His first win came after winning his first NBA championship and had the feel of an award bestowed to a man for finally breaking through a barrier he was being heavily criticized for not yet passing. This last award was just a bit more meaningful, perhaps.