Hey, LeBron James.
Hi. Hello. How are you?
See the news about the Denver Nuggets' Kenneth Faried being the first NBA player to take a stand against homophobia?
It's true!
The Manimal has joined Athlete Ally, an organization that combats homophobia in all sports, and he's hoping other pro athletes will follow suit.
This is kind of a big deal.
Know what would make it an even bigger deal?
If you did the same thing (and then maybe invited Dwyane and Chris to join you).
Other pro athletes who have jumped in on Athlete Ally's good works are the Baltimore Ravens' Brendon Ayanbadejo, the Minnesota Vikings' Chris Kluwe, and Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns.
Those guys are good at what they do and have brought a lot of attention to the fight against homophobia in sports.
But -- and I say this with all due respect to those guys -- they're not All-World, skull-crushing, Earth-shattering, defense-annihilating sacks of pure concentrated awesome like you are.
LeBron, you are, quite simply, the best basketball player in the Universe. And, after proving the naysayers and haters wrong last year by winning your first title and by refusing to unclench your thunder-god-like grip on the MVP award again this year, your standing up for the gay and lesbian community in sports -- particularly young athletes too scared to come out of the closet because of the antigay culture sports breeds -- would make tsunami waves across the stratosphere.
And this wouldn't be the first time you stood up for something, LeBron.
You and your teammates stood in solidarity by wearing hoodies in honor of Trayvon Martin. You've openly supported Barack Obama. You are a pillar in the community with helping kids, education, health matters, and making the world a better place with your celebrity.
Gay kids (and even adults) are constantly bullied over their sexual orientation, particularly in sports, where "gay" and "faggot" are thrown around carelessly and used as weapons against those who are looked upon as "different."
It's an injustice. And you're the closest thing to a living superhero I know.
Your voice would echo through the ages if you just up and signed on with Athlete Ally, or an organization like it, and told the world that bullying gays and being homophobic is simply wrong.
Even Kobe Bryant has gotten in on the antihomophobia crusade.
And we both know you're the better player, dude (but we'll just keep that between us).
DON'T LET KOBE OVERSHADOW YOU IN THIS ARENA.
Kick homophobia in the ass, LeBron. And then you can get back to kicking everyone else's ass on the court.
It's the right thing to do.
And, just as it is on the basketball court, no one can do it like you.
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