LeBron James Shares Life Mantra With Fans, 'Stand Up For What You Believe In'

Love him or hate him, you just cannot ignore him. The enigma of LeBron James extends well beyond the basketball court. More so when he stands by what he believes in, says so and wants you to do so.

On Saturday, it was that side of James on display on the sidelines of NBA All-Star event. He spoke of his humble background and small-town roots..

More importantly, he iterated his support for former American football player Colin Kaepernick, who shook the establishment in 2016 by refusing to stand for the national anthem.

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"It's important to stand up for what you believe in," James said. "I stand with Kaep (Kaepernick). I kneel with Kaep. I just feel what he was talking about, nobody wanted to listen to him. Nobody ever really wanted to actually understand where he was coming from. I think that anybody who will sacrifice his livelihood for the good of all of us, I respect that. And he's done that. You've got a guy who basically lost his job because he wanted to stand for something that was bigger than just him."

The reference to Kaepernick happened following his settlement of a lawsuit with National Football League.

"I hope it's a hell of a lot of money that can set not only him up but also his family, his grandchildren for the rest of their lives. I hope that the word of what he did will live on throughout American history and also world history because it's important for all of us, not only African-Americans but for everybody who wants to stand up for something that's more important than them."

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Following reports of killing of African-Americans by police personnel, Kaepernick had protested first by refusing to stand during the national anthem, and then kneeling down when it was played. Following the end of his contract with San Francisco 49ers in 2016, he was without a team as none of the owners seemed interested in picking him. He claimed that the team owners were deliberately ignoring him. He had filed a case against them which was settled on Friday. Although none of the NBA players actually got down to kneeling or showing protest, many backed Kaepernick, with James being the most outspoken of them. This is not the first time that the NBA legend has stood up for a cause and will continue to do so.

Life comes full circle for Currys

There were many Currys at the Spectrum Center on Sunday night. Add their friends and the actual number could be enormous. But, who picks the tab for all the tickets? Well, it is going to be Seth Curry.

And it may not be purely by choice. Rather, it is a penalty for losing to elder brother Stephen in the three-point contest on Saturday, the second day of NBA All Star weekend here.

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"Family's obviously big for us, like support, so we kind of wanted to weave that into the bet,'' Stephen said. "So whoever loses has to pick up the tab for all the tickets anytime we play against each other for the rest of our careers."

Stephen admitted that is not an easy bet to lose. "The stakes are high considering how many people show up for our games."

For the Curry family, life has come a full circle with all them coming together for the All Star event at home. "I will try to get as much as I can," Stephen said. "It will be like energising my body, despite the fatigue. There will be familiar sights and familiar faces out there. I have played in this building countless games. It is pretty awesome to be back here, representing Charlotte the way I do."

Joe Harris won the three-point event, while Hamidou Diallo was best in slam dunk.