LeBron James received the NAACP’s President’s Award on March 27 for his impactful work in the Black community. The Lakers basketball player made a virtual appearance for the show from the comfort of his own home and delivered a passionate speech highlighting the groups he oversees. LeBron spoke about the Springhill Company, I Promise School, and More Than a Vote initiative, the latter of which launched in June 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“This award is obviously much more than myself. I’m here receiving it, but this dives into everything that I’m a part of,” LeBron explained. “There’s a lot of voter suppression going on in the Black community where they try to take away our right to vote, take away our right to be heard, and take away anything that we can do to continue to make change.” He expressed gratitude for the athletes and artists who joined him in this initiative as they prepared for the November 2020 presidential election, hoping to make things “better for America.” Watch his full speech above.