

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are making big baller moves off the court. The Lakers player is helping ex-felons in Florida to pay fines so they can register to vote. Meanwhile, the Nets baller is donating over one million dollars to help WNBA players who aren’t playing. Everything inside…
We’re less than 100 days away before the 2020 presidential election.
NBA baller LeBron James has stepped up to help as many people as he can get registeredto vote before one of the most critical elections of our lifetime goes down this November.
Lakers baller LeBron James and his voting rights group, More Than a Vote, donated funds to help ex-felons in Florida pay their outstanding court fines that prevent them from registering to vote. King James and More Than a Vote have donated $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which is an organization that helps ex-felons get their affairs in order.
Florida felons have to pay court-ordered financial obligations if they want their voting rights restored under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last year. He passed that bill after the 2018 passage of Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to convicted felons who completed “all terms of sentence.” More than one million Floridians benefited from the legislation, of which about one-third are Black, according to the FRRC.
CNN reports:
A US district judge ruled in May that Floridians with prior felony convictions can't be barred from voting because they still owe court fines or fees that they are unable to pay. A federal appeals court in Atlanta this month blocked the judge's order, keeping the law in place. A hearing in the case is set for August 18 -- the same day as Florida's primary elections.
”This is a fight about their constitutional right to vote being denied,” LeBron tweeted. And he’s absolutely correct. This is a fight.
This is a fight about their constitutional right to vote being denied. Learn more about how you can help at https://t.co/ASKCSX9b9l. @morethanavote https://t.co/LtGBRwo8LQ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2020
“We believe that your right to vote shouldn’t depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it,” Udonis Haslem said in a press release, “which is why More Than A Vote is proud to partner with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to ensure that formerly incarcerated American citizens — many of themBlack and brown — are able to pay their outstanding fines and fees and register to vote in the 2020 election and beyond.”
The right to vote should not come with a price tag. #MoreThanAVote @morethanavote is stepping up to help @FLRightsRestore’s efforts to pay these fines and restore our democracy: https://t.co/48p39iS1fA pic.twitter.com/mbhoLeVgii
— More Than A Vote (@morethanavote) July 24, 2020
LeBron created More Than a Vote in June following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd. He rounded up a few of his celeb friends to join him, including Patrick Mahomes II, Udonis Haslem, Trae Young, Draymond Green, and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
If you guys want to learn more about what we’re doing in Florida and how you can help, go check this out tonight. https://t.co/NHm7QVXCta
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 26, 2020
LeBron is currently in the Orlando bubble with his Lakers teammates. They'll face off with the Clippers this Thursday, July 30th at 9:00pm EST. No fans will attend the game.
Speaking of the NBA...
Putting words into action. @KyrieIrving commits $1.5M to support WNBA players who will miss this season with the launch of the KAI Empowerment Initiative. To female empowerment and equality pic.twitter.com/JaVQIh5sqP
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) July 27, 2020
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to help support WNBA players who have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season.
The KAI Empowerment Initiative – created by Irving – will help supplement the income of players who chose not to play this season, whether because of the Coronavirus or social justice reasons. WNBA players will also receive a comprehensive financial literacy program created by UBS.
"Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions,'” Kyrie said in a statement.
The top annual salary for a WNBA player is a little more than $200,000.
To become eligible for the program, WNBA players must provide insight into the circumstances surrounding their decision and not be receiving salary support from any other entity. An opt-out for medical reasons must be connected to the Coronavirus pandemic. The deadline to apply is August 11th and recipients will be notified by August 24th.
As the NBA season is set to kick off this week, Kyrie will not be playing in any games. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery he had performed back in March.
Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
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