LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James has long used his platform to speak about what he feels are unfair practices by the NCAA in its treatment of student athletes who generate money for universities but can't profit off their own name, image or likenesses.
So when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 206 on Monday, he did it on "The Shop," a show produced by James' digital media company, Uninterrupted.
"It means a lot and it was an honor to have the governor come on our show to sign such a, what we believe, a historical change in time," James said.
James never went to college, but if he had, the Akron native likely would have played at Ohio State. The issue is personal to him, though, because of what he knows would have happened had he spent time as a college athlete.
"That 23 jersey would have got sold all over the place without my name on the back but everybody would have known the likeness," James said. "My body would have been on the NCAA basketball game 2004 and the Schottenstein Center would have been sold out every single night if I was there. And coming from just me and my mom, we didn't have anything and we wouldn't have been able to benefit at all from it and the university would have been able to capitalize on everything that I would have been there for that year or two or whatever.
"So I understand what those kids are going through. I feel for those kids that have been going through it for so long so that's why it's personal to me."
James' production company SpringHill Entertainment produced a documentary last year called "Student Athlete" that examined the issue.
"I think that players, not only LeBron but players like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant; to (whom) much is given much is expected," Lakers forward Jared Dudley said. "Your voice is huge ... . LeBron is basically saying player empowerment in the sense of, hey, someone like (former Duke star) Zion (Williamson) who brings so much money in should be able to get just a piece."
The California law will allow college athletes competing for universities in the state to profit from use of their name, image or likeness beginning in 2023. No other state has passed such a bill, but similar legislation is being discussed elsewhere. The NCAA is strongly opposed to the new law.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel agreed with his players and said it was "about time" when asked his thoughts on the bill. Vogel was a student manager at the University of Kentucky.
"We did something called barnstorming in Kentucky, where once the players were done (with college eligibility) they'd go on tour," Vogel said. "The graduating players would go play with some of the student managers _ myself, and some of the other guys, and just go to local high school gyms around the state of Kentucky and earn some money that way. But you shouldn't have to do stuff like that."
That James uses his platform to help push the issue didn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"He's using his voice to speak for the athletes," Lakers wing Danny Green said.
