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LeBron James and his inner circle are the pinnacle of being ‘more than’
More Than a Vote.
LeBron James and his inner circle are establishing themselves as off-the-court gold mines with their recent events. In recent weeks, the basketball legend teamed up with other high-profile athletes to create an organization to help African-Americans vote.
The organization is titled More Than a Vote and will aim to inspire African-Americans to cast a vote come November. As the title suggests, however, the organization will also extend to combat voter suppression and bring attention to franchise restriction attempts on minorities.
“We want you to go out and vote, but we’re also going to give you the tutorial,” James said to The New York Times. “We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”
“Because of everything that’s going on, people are finally starting to listen to us — we feel like we’re finally getting a foot in the door,” James continued.
The organization will reportedly be formatted as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, essentially refraining from advocating any specific candidate. James mentions how he only wants specific voices backing the organization.
Skylar Diggins-Smith, a WNBA player for the Phoenix Mercury, explained her reasons for participating in the organization.
“I’m sick of seeing unarmed black men killed by the police,” she said. “I want to put some action behind my frustrations, behind my anger, behind the helplessness that I’ve been feeling.”
https://twitter.com/SkyDigg4/status/1275509294838898689?s=20
James has teamed up with Diggins-Smith, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, and Philadelphia native comedian Kevin Hart, among many others, to add star power and platform to the organization.
James’ organization will partner with various voting rights organizations such as Fair Fight and When We All Vote to jump-start and promote the work. James, among the many other athletes, will use their enormous social media presence to disseminate the message among African American voters and supporters who want to make a change.
Aside from the voting organization, LeBron’s off-the-court presence as an asset and businessman has taken even greater leaps and bounds.
In 2007, he became the co-founder of SpringHill Entertainment with Maverick Carter a production company responsible for The Wall, and the upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy.
According to Bloomberg, James and his childhood friend Carter raised $100 million in March to help revamp their new media company.
“On March 11, the same day the NBA suspended its season and a little more than a week before their adopted hometown ordered residents to shelter in place, James and Carter formed the SpringHill Co. after raising $100 million,” Bloomberg writes.
“They describe it as a media company with an unapologetic agenda: a maker and distributor of all kinds of content that will give a voice to creators and consumers who’ve been pandered to, ignored, or underserved.”
LeBron James is building a new media company that aims to give a voice to Black creators and consumers who’ve been pandered to, ignored, or underserved https://t.co/ytqwq0W6zr via @BW
— Bloomberg (@business) June 25, 2020
James and Carter’s media company shows how his leadership extends beyond the court. It came as a shock to nobody that LeBron had created More Than a Vote, as his passion to construct voices has been burning for years.
James’ influence has spread to other NBA players looking to follow in his footsteps. On June 26, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young announced that he had signed with Klutch Sports, the longtime agency group representing James.
The 21-year-old leaves Octagon, the sports and entertainment agency which he has been affiliated with since he joined the league.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Rich Paul’s agency had been a favorite to land Young, especially considering that his longtime agent Omar Wilkes had left Octagon to become Klutch Sport’s head of basketball operations.
With Klutch Sports’ dominance in the NBA, and recent extension into the NFL, the agency is nothing short of a titan in sports. Paul will reportedly now focus his duties in a more CEO-like role, instead of the typical recruitment or brand-manager positions.
As Young follows in LeBron’s footsteps, we can only speculate how many more athletes will join in. This continues to demonstrate how the off-court actions of an athlete can be vastly more impactful than their work during games.
LeBron’s career of virtue and efficiency will continue to shine, and the sky is the limit for the superstar’s next move.