Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The More Than a Vote nonprofit organization founded by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is undergoing a significant change ahead of the 2024 United States presidential election with Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm taking on the lead role.
According to Tania Ganguli of the New York Times, More Than a Vote is also refocusing with an emphasis on women and reproductive rights.
James confirmed the evolution in a post on X and noted that he is “proud to pass the torch” to Ogwumike:
LeBron James @KingJames
So proud to pass the torch to @nnekaogwumike and an incredible team of women for this next round. 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! https://t.co/kavb5Zarxz
James originally created More Than a Vote in June 2020 in support of Black Lives Matter with the goal of championing rights for Black voters and fighting against voter suppression.
With Ogwumike now at the forefront, More Than a Vote will shine the spotlight on women ahead of what figures to be a key election for their future.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively, and women’s reproductive rights will be among the biggest issues they debate leading up to the election in November.
Ogwumike, 34, has been one of the WNBA’s biggest stars since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
She’s a nine-time All-Star, and she won a WNBA championship and the WNBA MVP Award in 2016.
Ogwumike is no stranger to representing her peers, as the Stanford graduate has been president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association since 2016.
