LeBron James, J.R. Smith campaign with Hillary Clinton in Ohio
NBA stars LeBron James and J.R. Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the trail with Hillary Clinton Sunday, rounding out a star-studded weekend for the Democratic nominee’s efforts in crucial battleground states.
James and Smith both took the stage ahead of Clinton in Cleveland, where the former secretary of state held a massive get-out-the-vote rally with a crowd of approximately 4,000 people.
“The number one main reason i’m here is because of Hillary and what she believes in,” James said Sunday, before talking about his childhood experiences in the inner city.
“I was one of those kids and I was around a community that was like ‘our vote doesn’t matter.’” continued James, who runs a youth-oriented philanthropic foundation based in Ohio. “But it really does. It really, really does. We have to get out and make sure we vote… we have to get out and be knowledgeable about what’s going on.”
Introducing Clinton, James said, “this woman right here has the brightest future for our world.”
When Clinton took the mic, she praised the NBA superstar for his efforts in basketball and in his charity work.
“What he does on the basketball court makes him so special. It makes him a champion but I am just as impressed as I have told him about what he does off the court,” Clinton said. “Because what he does off the court is care for every child as if that child was his own.”
J.R. Smith also made an appearance, bringing his young daughter on the stage.
The two basketball sensations joined the ranks of other celebrities that have campaigned on behalf of Clinton in the final sprint to Election Day. On Friday, pop star Beyonce, her husband and rapper Jay Z, and other hip hop giants held a concert for Clinton in Ohio.