LeBron to the rescue of Kamala: a video to win the black vote

LeBron James, one of the strongest and most famous basketball players of all time, expressed his support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris yesterday. "What are we talking about here? When I think about my children and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS," James said on social media.

The Los Angeles Lakers player - who is currently playing his 22nd season in the NBA after leading Team USA to Olympic gold at the Paris Games last summer - thus joins many other sports and entertainment figures who have announced their support for Harris: actress Meryl Streep, comedian Chris Rock, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and then in music, superstars Beyonce and Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen, to name but the best-known faces.

LeBron's views are well known: the Lakers champion has always been highly critical of Donald Trump, personally fighting for the rights of the African-American minority. But the announcement of support for Harris came in spectacular fashion, with a video montage showing Trump's rally at New York's Madison Square Garden, highlighting the racist jokes that came from the Republican stage: the video also includes historical footage depicting the struggle for civil rights in the United States and the Black Lives Matter movement's 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd. "Hate takes us back," is the concluding message delivered by LeBron.

Harris is trying to increase his following among black men, a group of voters that Democrats fear is increasingly leaning towards Trump. According to Reuters/Ipsos polls in October, the share of African-American men leaning towards voting for Harris fell to 63%, eight points lower than Joe Biden's approval ratings in that demographic before the 2020 election. About 19% of African American men said in October that they would vote for Trump, down from 17% in October 2020.