LeBron James Focuses On Michael Jordan’s Silence On Social Issues In Second ‘Shut Up and Dribble’ Episode

“Shut Up and Dribble” attracts everyone’s attention, and LeBron James did a really good job with his series. The second episode of the series will air at 9 p.m. Pacific on Saturday on Showtime, and it is dedicated on Michael Jordan and his past of avoiding social issues that affect his fellows.

Michael Jordan did not take part in this “Shut Up and Dribble” episode. The series discusses how Jordan declined to engage in the tense 1990 Senate race between ultra-conservative Republican Jesse Helms and black opponent Harvey Gantt.

Chicago reporter Sam Smith said how the NBA legend told him “Republicans buy shoes, too,” in reference to his Nike line of shoes. Helms launched a rather controversial ad and criticized minority hiring practices. He won the election with 1,089,012 and Gantt got 981,573.

“It’s not his obligation to be Muhammad Ali,” Tar Heel and Kenny Smith said in the episode.

Craig Hodges suggested that the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers boycott the 1991 NBA Dinals after the Rodney King attack in LA. However, Jordan and Magic Johnson said it was way too extreme.

The episode is hosted by Paul Rivera, and is also focused on the 1995 Million Man March of black men on Washington, D.C. Rivera also talked about Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf who did not stand for the national anthem in the 1990s.

“It’s my hope that we will contribute to the dialogue that we sorely need in this country about the importance of civic engagement, cultural inclusion, why sports matter beyond wins and losses, and persistence in the face of struggle,” Gotham Chopra said.

“To have so many people want to participate in it, and give their experiences, their voice, what they went through at their time, and to be able to bring it all together, it’s pretty cool,” LeBron said of his great work.