NBA Latest News: Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James Donates $2.5 Million To Muhammad Ali Exhibit at Smithsonian Museum; Is James Bigger Than Ali?

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James is giving $2.5 million to support a Muhammad Ali exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington. James said that he was grateful for Ali had shaped his and every athlete's lives. Is LeBron James bigger than Ali?

ESPN reported that according to Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James, "Muhammad Ali is such a cornerstone of me as an athlete because of what he represented not only in the ring as a champion but more outside the ring."

LeBron James has donated $2.5 million to The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for its Ali exhibit.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 17, 2016

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James charitable foundation and business partner Maverick Carter had pledged the donation total for "Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change."

James said that every professional athlete, regardless of their race and gender, all of them owed a huge debt of gratitude to Muhammad Ali. Ali's legacy deserved to be studied and revered by every generation.

According to USA Today, Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James already released his charity work early in 2015. James' program gave students that enrolled in his foundation's academic a four-year scholarship to the University of Akron. The first group of those students are currently in the eighth grade and they still need to meet all academic and community service requirements to qualify for James program.

Museum Founding Director Lonnie Bunch said in an interview with USA Today that LeBron James' support will help the foundation continue the story of Muhammad Ali and will encourage athletes to realize how important athletics is in terms of social justice.

The Muhammad Ali Exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum included artifacts such as Ali's headgear and the training robe worn at Dundee's Fifth Street Gym. It also celebrated the late champion's achievements in community activism, resistance, politics, spirituality, and culture.

The actions like Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James will encourage younger athletes and people with means to recognize the philanthropy and paying homage to those who went before them and how crucially important that can be to the next generation in the society.

Do you think that Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James could be bigger than Muhammad Ali due to his charity work and what he had accomplished?