Basketball superstar LeBron James tapped a WNBA star to lead his voter outreach group, with a renewed focus on women voters.
The nonprofit organization More Than a Vote, founded by James in 2020 amid the riots set off by George Floyd’s death, fell largely into disuse after the 2020 presidential election. Now James is setting to reboot the project by passing the torch to WNBA player Nneka Ogwumike, who will focus on issues central to women, such as abortion.
“So proud to pass the torch to @nnekaogwumike and an incredible team of women for this next round,” James wrote in a post on X. “Their voice is the most powerful right now and we need to get behind them. I encourage y’all to join the fight with us, led by these great ladies and @morethanavote!”
Ogwumike has been politically active before, volunteering as a poll worker in 2020, according to the New York Times. She entered contact with James earlier this year.
This time around, she recruited several female athletes to help in her endeavor, including Brittany Griner, who was freed from a Russian prison in a prisoner swap last year.
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More Than a Vote surpassed expectations in 2020, raising $4.2 million. It opened polling stations in sports arenas, aired ads, and performed social media outreach. While it focused on black voters in 2020, it is now planning to shift its focus more to female voters.
“It’s more than just abortion,” Ogwumike said in an interview with the outlet. “It’s all about educating people about all the different roles that exist in society that support and protect the freedoms of women when it comes to family planning, I.V.F., birth control, everything. There’s just a lot that’s at stake.”
