Athlete Activists: Sports Stars on Social Issues

LeBron James speaks on #ClevelandRising protests and more.

LeBron James - After a tough start against the Hawks, LeBron James saw victory with the Cavaliers (114-111 in overtime). The playoff moment (they're now 3-0 in the series) was bigger than basketball, however. Cleveland has been pleading with each other for peace following protests in response to police brutality, and James was one of the voices urging for unity. “Anything that goes on in our world or in our America, the only people that we should be worried about [are] the families that’s lost loved ones. You can’t get them back. You can never get them back," he told ESPN.It wasn't the first time he stepped into the political arena. Last December, he walked onto the court in an "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt in support of Eric Garner. Read on as we look back at more influential athlete activists in history.(Photo: Ty Wright/Getty Images)

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LeBron James - After a tough start against the Hawks, LeBron James saw victory with the Cavaliers (114-111 in overtime). The playoff moment (they're now 3-0 in the series) was bigger than basketball, however. Cleveland has been pleading with each other for peace following protests in response to police brutality, and James was one of the voices urging for unity. “Anything that goes on in our world or in our America, the only people that we should be worried about [are] the families that’s lost loved ones. You can’t get them back. You can never get them back," he told ESPN.It wasn't the first time he stepped into the political arena. Last December, he walked onto the court in an "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt in support of Eric Garner. Read on as we look back at more influential athlete activists in history.(Photo: Ty Wright/Getty Images)

Magic Johnson - When Johnson made The Announcement in 1994 that he was diagnosed with HIV, it felt like the earth stopped spinning for a while. At the time, Johnson was easily the highest-profile person to come forth as HIV-positive, but rather than let the news end his career, he forged ahead as an activist and an example, showing the world that while it was a serious disease, those who had it need not be diminished or exiled. (Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Free The Children)

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Magic Johnson - When Johnson made The Announcement in 1994 that he was diagnosed with HIV, it felt like the earth stopped spinning for a while. At the time, Johnson was easily the highest-profile person to come forth as HIV-positive, but rather than let the news end his career, he forged ahead as an activist and an example, showing the world that while it was a serious disease, those who had it need not be diminished or exiled. (Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Free The Children)

Muhammad Ali - Ali is as much a legend for his moves in the ring as he is for his views outside of it. The heavyweight champ spoke out on everything from civil rights to Vietnam, and is one of the most quotable athletes to ever live.(Photo: Rogers/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Muhammad Ali - Ali is as much a legend for his moves in the ring as he is for his views outside of it. The heavyweight champ spoke out on everything from civil rights to Vietnam, and is one of the most quotable athletes to ever live.(Photo: Rogers/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

St. Louis Rams Players - Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, and Kenny Britt stepped onto the field last year at the height of the Ferguson protests with their hands up, before being joined by the rest of the team to start the game. The players used the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture to show solidarity with protesters. They were fined by the NFL and condemned by the St. Louis police department, but the gesture earned them the admiration of the nation.(Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

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St. Louis Rams Players - Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, and Kenny Britt stepped onto the field last year at the height of the Ferguson protests with their hands up, before being joined by the rest of the team to start the game. The players used the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture to show solidarity with protesters. They were fined by the NFL and condemned by the St. Louis police department, but the gesture earned them the admiration of the nation.(Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Jason Collins - In 2013, Collins became the first openly-gay player in the four major sports, breaking a taboo that had long outlasted common sense. The announcement was met with overwhelming support, including phone calls from two presidents (Obama and Clinton), tweets of admiration from friends, colleagues and fans, and a standing ovation when he came onto the court for his first game as an openly gay NBA player. Though Collins retired from the NBA last year, he will forever be remembered as a trailblazer.(Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for GLSEN)

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Jason Collins - In 2013, Collins became the first openly-gay player in the four major sports, breaking a taboo that had long outlasted common sense. The announcement was met with overwhelming support, including phone calls from two presidents (Obama and Clinton), tweets of admiration from friends, colleagues and fans, and a standing ovation when he came onto the court for his first game as an openly gay NBA player. Though Collins retired from the NBA last year, he will forever be remembered as a trailblazer.(Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for GLSEN)

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Bill Russell - The Boston Celtics player not only redefined basketball, but also the role of Black athlete activist. Born in the segregated South and raised during the civil rights era, Russell experienced racism throughout his tenure in the NBA, both from fans and from the organization which sometimes booked him in separate hotels as his teammates.(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Bill Russell - The Boston Celtics player not only redefined basketball, but also the role of Black athlete activist. Born in the segregated South and raised during the civil rights era, Russell experienced racism throughout his tenure in the NBA, both from fans and from the organization which sometimes booked him in separate hotels as his teammates.(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Jackie Robinson - As the first Black player in the MLB, Robinson became a symbol of civil rights and helped bring together a deeply divided country through sport. While Robinson never set out to be an activist, his path inevitably lead him there.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

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Jackie Robinson - As the first Black player in the MLB, Robinson became a symbol of civil rights and helped bring together a deeply divided country through sport. While Robinson never set out to be an activist, his path inevitably lead him there.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

Dennis Rodman - Basketball diplomacy? Only The Worm would attempt such a thing. After befriending the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Rodman went on a media tear defending the autocrat and the country's arcane practices.(Photo: REUTERS /KCNA /LANDOV)

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Dennis Rodman - Basketball diplomacy? Only The Worm would attempt such a thing. After befriending the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Rodman went on a media tear defending the autocrat and the country's arcane practices.(Photo: REUTERS /KCNA /LANDOV)

LA Clippers - When audio of Donald Sterling's racist rants leaked online last year, the timing couldn't have been worse. It was right before the NBA playoffs, and the Clippers were contenders for the first time in franchise history. Rather than buckle under the spectacle, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of the team banded together to send a strong message to Sterling, the NBA and the world: basketball over everything.(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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LA Clippers - When audio of Donald Sterling's racist rants leaked online last year, the timing couldn't have been worse. It was right before the NBA playoffs, and the Clippers were contenders for the first time in franchise history. Rather than buckle under the spectacle, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of the team banded together to send a strong message to Sterling, the NBA and the world: basketball over everything.(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose ... - Following LeBron's lead, several other NBA players showed up on court wearing "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts in solidarity with the protesters and families of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. (Photos from left: Al Bello/Getty Images, Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS/LANDOV)

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Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose ... - Following LeBron's lead, several other NBA players showed up on court wearing "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts in solidarity with the protesters and families of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. (Photos from left: Al Bello/Getty Images, Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS/LANDOV)