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LeBron James Named Time Athlete Of The Year

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Superstar Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been named athlete of the year by Time Magazine.

The magazine gave James the accolade Thursday for his play on the court and his activism off of it.

San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 29: LeBron James attends the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on November 29, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

Off the court, James was vocal in the wake of the killings of George Floyd of Breonna Taylor, speaking out about issues of racial justice and police brutality.

During a playoff game in August, James and his teammates wore altered MAGA hats which read, "Make America arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor."

He also pushed a major voting rights initiative ahead of the general election. In June he launched the nonprofit group More Than a Vote, whose purpose was to combat Black voter suppression.

LeBron James
A man walks past street art by Joel Arroyo depicting US basketball player Lebron James in central Barcelona on November 12, 2020. - Spain's death toll surged over 40,000 with infections passing the 1.4 million mark, making it the country with the fourth-highest death rate within the EU. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

In October, the 35-year-old James lead the Lakers to their first NBA title since 2010 despite the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw league play halted for several months before resuming in a bubble environment in Florida.

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