As the Smithsonian Institute is preparing to honor the legacy of one of the greatest boxers and civil rights activists of the 20th century, LeBron James donates millions to make sure that the museum’s new Muhammad Ali exhibit will be spectacular.
LeBron James Donates Millions to Muhammad Ali Exhibit
James, through the LeBron James Family Foundation and along with his business partner Maverick Carter, has endowed the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American History and Culture with $2.5 million earmarked for the new exhibit entitled “Muhammad Ali: A Force For Change.”
While James is the latest NBA icon to donate to the project, he is not the only. Michael Jordan has given $5 million. Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie have also donated $1 million.
According to a USA Today report, the exhibit will focus on Ali’s boxing accomplishments and social activism. The relationship between the Smithsonian and Ali goes back to 2012, when a Smithsonian traveling exhibit entitled “IndiVisible: African-Native-American Lives in the Americas” occupied the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. for two months. James had the following to say of Ali:
“Muhammad Ali is such a cornerstone of me as an athlete because of what he represented not only in the ring as a champion but more outside the ring – what he stood for, what he spoke for, his demeanor – I think of him every day. Without his passion and goals and morals, I don’t know if I’d be sitting here today talking to you about it.”
The National Museum of African-American History and Culture is located in Washington, D.C. No announcement has been made yet when the new Ali exhibit will be open.
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