Freedom fighter John Lewis died Friday at the age of 80 after building a life as a civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman. He battled pancreatic cancer for six months.
Lewis organized the march for voting rights across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama with Martin Luther King Jr. and was a speaker at the March on Washington before serving 17 terms as a U.S. congressman for the state of Georgia. He was known for getting into "good trouble," because of his willingness to break the law to stand up for what was right.
The news comes in a time of renewed racial tension after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — a Black man and a Black woman — at the hands of police officers. Several corporations and entities have publicly stated the need to address ongoing issues of systemic racism and social injustices, including Washington, D.C.'s NFL team, who retired its team nickname and logo after years of debate.
The sports world honored Lewis by posting various tributes on social media. Major league teams from his home state shared words of appreciation, including the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons, who also acknowledged civil rights leader C.T. Vivian. Vivian died the same day as Lewis.
Other NBA teams acknowledged Lewis' legacy, including the Washington Wizards, who watched the documentary "Good Trouble" while at the Bubble awaiting the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season.
Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers got to meet Lewis a handful of times. He shared a story of when he was an Atlanta Hawks player and went on a campaign trip with gubernatorial nominee Andrew Young and recalled some words of wisdom imparted by Lewis.
Here are additional tributes to John Lewis from around the sports world: