Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has had a whale of a year. He led his team to the NBA championship, the fourth of his career, while being named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated.
Still, according to a Gallup poll, President Donald Trump, a very polarizing figure, is more admired than James. In fact, the four-time NBA MVP didn’t even make the top five.
America's most admired men 2020:
1. Donald Trump
2. Barack Obama
3. Joe Biden
4. Dr. Fauci
5. Pope Francis
6. Elon Musk
7. Bernie Sanders
8. Bill Gates
9. LeBron James
10. Dalai Lama-Gallup
— Norbert Elekes (@NorbertElekes) December 29, 2020
When looking at the list, one should keep in mind that sports are only so important in the grand scale of world events.
Of course, there is also the novel coronavirus pandemic that continues to rage out of control, which explains Dr. Anthony Fauci ranking fourth.
James and Trump have gone back and forth over the last few years throwing shade at each other. The commander-in-chief recently criticized James for his stance on social justice issues a few weeks after L.A. clinched the world championship.
James, in turn, led efforts to drive out better voter turnout, especially among people of color, during last month’s presidential election, which Trump lost.
