LeBron James told the world in 2020 that black lives matter. He helped convince many who had never voted to finally go to the polls. He found more ways to keep improving the lives of people in his hometown.
As if that wasn’t enough, he won another NBA championship.
James’ performance on the field was spectacular again this year. A fourth NBA title and fourth NBA Finals MVP trophy were his as he lifted the Los Angeles Lakers back above the basketball world. And after a year of being brilliant, on the field and off it, James was announced as the winner of the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award for a record fourth time on Saturday.
“I still know what I’m doing on the floor, and of course I give everything to the game,” James told AP. “But right now I can make a bigger impact on the floor than on the floor. And I want to keep inspiring people with the way I play basketball. But there are so many more things I can do from the floor to help people. cultivating, inspiring people, bringing people together, empowering them. “
The AP award was first presented in 1931. James’ fourth win was the closest match to Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods. Three women have won the AP award at least four times; Babe Didrikson was a six-time winner, Serena Williams has won five and Chris Evert has won four.
The Sportswoman of the Year of the AP will be announced on Sunday.
No NBA player has scored more points or had more assists in 2020 than James. The only other player in his life to lead the league in points and assists in the same calendar year? Himself, in 2018.
James also became the first player to be NBA Finals MVP for three franchises. He moved past Kobe Bryant for number 3 on the all-time scorecard, a day before Bryant died in a helicopter crash last January; the last tweet Bryant sent was a congratulatory message to James.
“He’s the best player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of James in October. “And if you think you know, then you don’t know until you are around him every day, you coach him, you see his mind, you see his adjustments, see how he leads the group. you know. You don’t know. “
James finished with 78 votes by a panel of 35 AP clients and editors. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was a close second with 71 points. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was distant third with 14 points.
James – also the AP’s male athlete for the past decade – also won the annual AP award in 2013, 2016 and 2018. Michael Jordan, a three-time winner, is the only other basketball player to have won the AP award more than once .
“He is one of the greatest leaders in the sport,” Lakers security guard Kyle Kuzma said of James.
This applies both inside and outside the court.
James’ More Than a Vote organization drew more than 42,000 volunteers to polling stations for the November election, helping some recoup their voting rights and pushing for black and young voter turnout.
“The tragic death of George Floyd, everyone gets a chance to see it, and also the story of Breonna Taylor, her tragic story, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia … my people have had enough and I have had enough, James said. “That’s why I called for action, and with my platform, I believed I could get people to join me.”
He also, as always, focused on his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
The I PROMISE School that he opened in 2018 now has more than 450 students in the third through sixth grades. When the pandemic closed the school, James and his team arranged for the students to deliver hot meals to their homes, even complete Thanksgiving meals. An affordable housing project for 50 families was a fact this year. And this month, plans were announced for House Three Thirty (a nod to Akron’s area code), detailing how James will offer things like accessible financial health programs for families, job training, and a community meeting space.
“The pandemic is hard on all of us,” said James. “Regardless of your situation, no matter where you are in life, it has been difficult. And the first thing I thought about, besides the end of the season when the pandemic hit, was, ‘What am I going to do children back? in my [hometown] in my school? ‘”
He is already looking to 2021. The Lakers expect to be contenders again. His remake of “Space Jam” is expected to be released this summer. And James, who turns 36 on Wednesday, hasn’t ruled out playing for USA Basketball again at the Tokyo Olympics on the team that will be coached by Gregg Popovich.
“It’s still possible,” said James. “It’s not a 0% chance, I’ll say that. I like Coach Pop.”
But as 2020 drew to a close, James gave himself a moment to reflect on a year like no other.
“It’s a tribute to the people I work with, the people at my foundation, the sponsors who continue to support us and what we do and what we strive for,” said James. “It’s incredible. I can’t sit here and say that when we stopped in March, I thought this was all going to happen and we would be at this point in December.”