With the protests going on against racial injustice all across the country, the NBA decided to do something unique for its players. When the regular season restarts on July 30th, players will be able to wear pre-approved social justice messages on the back of their jerseys. Many players have already revealed which messages they will be wearing, while other players are keeping this information under wraps. However, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are two players who have made it clear that they won't be participating in this trend.
Considering LeBron's love of social justice, his stance here was confusing to some fans. However, on First Take this morning, Stephen A. Smith offered a fresh perspective. As he explained, names on the backs of jerseys are symbolic gestures that never lead to real change. In Smith's eyes, this latest effort is of no real use and that LeBron does plenty for his community off of the court.
Smith made sure to reiterate that he is a huge supporter of the movements that are going on right now and that he isn't trying to take away from them. However, he just feels like there are better ways to bring about changes that will truly impact the community for the better.
While this topic will always be highly-debated, there is no denying LeBron's work in the community.