‘LeBron James’ speech revived Bubble playoffs’: Mark Cuban explains how Lakers star saved the NBA season

LeBron James was praised by Mark Cuban for taking up a leadership role in the meeting that led to the resumption of the Bubble playoffs.

In the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, the Milwaukee Bucks led a players’ boycott of the NBA playoffs. It took a lot of discussion and nuance to bring them back on the court. A commitment by NBA team owners to invest in social justice causes ultimately led to the retraction of their boycott.

NBA all social justice team

PG: CP3
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jimmy Butler
C: LeBron

Bench:
Jamal Murray
Malcolm Brogdon
Kyle Korver
Enes Kanter
Tobias Harris
Sterling K. Brown

Head Coach: Greg Popovich
Assistant Head Coach: Steve Kerr
Owner: Mark Cuban

— tatum stan ☘ (@TatumCamStan) November 24, 2020

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The Lakers went on to win the bubble playoffs in one of the most dominant postseason runs of this century.

Mark Cuban explains how LeBron James’s intervention allowed the NBA to restart the playoffs

Mark Cuban, in an interview with Taylor Rooks, spoke about LeBron’s role in the meeting between the NBPA and team owners.

“I thought [LeBron] was really compelling. He talked about how we need to be able to connect to young African American kids. What really stuck with me was when he said a lot of kids where he grew up can’t afford cable and that the only way to watch our games is on cable.”

“And we have a challenge [in addressing] those types of issues and lifting people up, so that it’s not about cable or watching the NBA on cable but more about: How do we help these kids improve where they are in life?”

The bubble was in an atmosphere charged by the ongoing BLM protests across USA. The players used their jerseys to send messages of social justice to the viewing public.

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