"It’s more indicative of Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell" - LeBron James' former teammate on how other athletes inspired 'The King' to give back

LeBron James is arguably one of the greatest players to ever play a game of basketball. James is also quite possibly one of the few players who can give Michael Jordan competition for the G.O.A.T. title.

In a survey conducted by HoopsHype, LeBron came in second to Jordan as the most influential player in NBA history. James received 37.69% of the maximum amount of points possible, as well as the most second-place votes.

A former NBA player and current assistant head coach who was part of the voting process believes that LeBron influenced both his peers and the public by being one of the most divisive personalities in the world of sports.

"LeBron's ability to influence his peers, public opinion, his basketball dominance from a very young age, and his philanthropic work puts him up there with the most influential NBA athletes," the assistant coach said.

However, former teammate of LeBron James noted that the influence of several legendary athletes paved the way for "The King" to give back to his community. His foundation and I Promise school helps a lot of children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

"LeBron's philanthropic efforts and outspokenness skipped an entire era through the 80s and 90s. It's more indicative of Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell," the former teammate said.

LeBron is indeed not the first athlete to give back to his community and become a philantrophist. Muhammad Ali was a blueprint for many athletes because of his humanitarianism, while Kareem was not afraid to speak his mind on cultural issues. He's known for his activism during his playing career and after retirement.

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LeBron James misses game against Philadelphia 76ers game

LeBron James at the bench in the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The LA Lakers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night. However, LeBron James missed the game due to a sore left knee, which has been bothering him since January. It was James' 19th missed game of the season.

In the absence of LeBron, Dwight Howard and Russell Westbrook stepped up for the Lakers. Howard and Westbrook each had 24 points, while Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony added 23 and 20 points, respectively, off the bench. But it wasn't enough as the Sixers got the 126-121 win.

Joel Embiid had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, while James Harden scored 24 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Tyrese Maxey also had a big game with 21 points and Tobias Harris came alive to score 20 points.

LeBron and the Lakers are back on the road in their next three games. They will visit the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz for an important stretch of games to determine their position for the play-in tournament. They are currently just half a game ahead of the Pelicans for the ninth seed.