LeBron James is AP’s male athlete of the year
LeBron James has been named The Associated
Press’ Male Athlete of the Year for a fourth time.
The accolade comes in part to James’
on-court performance but also his activities outside the sport which helped to
bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2020, James earned his fourth NBA
championship title and also a fourth NBA Finals MVP trophy, which solidified
his place among the greatest basketballers ever.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ final win also
meant that James became the first player to be a NBA Finals MVP for three
different franchises.
He told AP, “I still
know what I do on the floor and obviously, I give everything to the game. But I
can make a greater impact off the floor right now, more than I can on the
floor. And I want to continue to inspire people with the way I play the game of
basketball. But there’s so many more things that I can do off the floor to help
cultivate people, inspire people, bring people together, empower them.”
