LeBron James Shows a Growing Willingness to Take the Lead on Social Issues
It was not lost on some that when James first expressed his opinion about Sterling, it was in Charlotte, N.C., where the local N.B.A. team is owned by Michael Jordan.
As the league’s singular star throughout the 1990s, Jordan also personified the shift away from the activist athletes of earlier generations toward those less inclined to say anything that might offend sponsors, a bountiful new source of income for top stars. Jordan cemented this standing when he explained why he did not stump for a Democratic candidate who was running against the North Carolina senator Jesse Helms, who opposed a national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr.: Republicans buy sneakers, too.