LeBron James has expressed his full support for Colin Kaepernick, after the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback settled his collusion case against the NFL.
It was announced on Friday that Kaepernick and ex-Niners team-mate Eric Reid had resolved their grievances with the league.
In 2016, Kaepernick became the first player to take a knee during the national anthem to protest perceived social and racial inequality. He filed his grievance against the NFL in October 2017 as part of the league's collective bargaining agreement, claiming owners "blackballed" him as he has yet to find a landing spot since opting out of his 49ers contract in March 2017. Reid filed a similar grievance in May, before signing with the Carolina Panthers for the 2018 season.
The settlement terms prevent all parties from commenting but, speaking at the NBA's All-Star Weekend, Los Angeles Lakers star James was unequivocal in his backing of Kaepernick.
"I think it's important for you to stick up for what you believe in. I stand with Kaep. I kneel with Kaep," James told reporters.
"I feel what he was talking about nobody wanted to listen to. Nobody ever really actually wanted to understand where he was coming from.
"I think that anybody that would sacrifice their livelihood for the better of all of us, I can respect that. I mean you've got a guy that basically lost his job because he wanted to stand for something that's more than just him."
James made it clear he felt Kaepernick had "won" his case, despite the terms of the settlement being confidential.
"I'm happy to see the news come out yesterday that he won his suit. I hope it's a hell of a lot of money that can set not only him up, but set his family up.
"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 to stand up for something that's more important than them."
