Sports Stars Remember Nelson Mandela

Olden Polynice, Derek Anderson and Bernard Hopkins Getty The late Nelson Mandela is globally regarded as a man who was selfless and who fought for freedom. He was a fighter that championed the Canada Goose Outlet cause of apartheid in South Africa. But what many don't know is that Mandela was also an athlete. A former amateur boxer that also enjoyed watching sports like American football and soccer, Mandela saw it as a Canada Goose Online barrier to fuse people together.“It has the power to inspire,” Mandela canada goose outlet once said. “It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”As word of his passing spread, many professional athletes took the opportunity to express their appreciation for his contributions to the world. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt tweeted: "Just here thinking canada goose clearance that Mr. Mandela in prison for 27years is how long I've been alive..Words are inadequate to describe this man#RIPMandela"After the Chicago Bulls' 107-87 victory over the Miami Heaton Thursday, Bulls center Joakim Noah ended his interview with TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager by yelling: "Rest in peace, Madiba!"The sports world loved Mandela and he loved sports.Nelson Mandela had a great relationship with the South African national rugby team when he became president canada goose store of South Africa. That picture was painted vividly in the 2009 movieInvictus, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.Upon hearing of Mandela's death, 15 year NBA veteran Olden Polynice tweeted: "Had to take a day and reflect on Mr. canada goose coats on sale Mandela and all he meant to South Africa and the world. We all should aspire to be like him.#AMANDLA"Polynice has long been an advocate for social justice. In 1993, as a member of the Detroit Pistons, the Port-Au-Prince, Haiti native was the first U.S. athlete to ever join a hunger strike. He did it while in season to protest the treatment of HIV-positive Haitian refugees imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay and to challenge the Clinton Administration's canada goose refusal to change United States canada goose replica immigration policy toward Haitians. The Reverend Jesse Jackson also joined the fast. "It was motivated from seeing him and knowing his story, so it was easier for me to do what Canada Goose Parka I did,” Polynice told Ebony Online by phoneon Sunday.Selected 8th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft, Polynice was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Scottie Pippen on draft day. After playing for five different teams canada goose clearance sale in the NBA where he averaged 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, the 6'11 center is buy canada goose jacket still working for a cause. “Mr. Mandela is like my hero,” he said. “I don't have sports heroes. Before there was Muhammad Ali or anybody else, there was Nelson Mandela for me.”In 2010, President Clinton and Olden Polynice were on the right page of history. The retired NBA veteran joined forces https://www.jacketstock.com with the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund in efforts to help Haiti recover from the hurricane disaster in his homeland. “Coming from cheap Canada Goose Haiti, a third world country, I can relate to [Mandela's trials and tribulations,” said Polynice.Last year, Polynice, was named Ambassador to Haiti for buy canada goose jacket cheap sports and entertainment by Michell Martelly, President of Haiti. According to Polynice, the first book that he ever read was Mandela's autobiography,Long Walk To Freedom. He credits that book for inspiring him to be a goodwill ambassador of his country. “I think that's why I became an activist because of Nelson Mandela,” he said. I saw what he did for a country canada goose coats and for his people,”Derek Anderson helped the University of Kentucky Wildcats win a NCAA National basketball Championship in 1996. He also Canada Goose Jackets won an NBA Championship as a member of the Miami Heat in 2006. Before the glitz and glamor of the NBA life, he was a parent by the age of fourteen, had been shot and stabbed and lost his mom to substance abuse. These days he's canada goose deals promoting his book, Stamina and credits Mandela, with whom he shares a July 18thbirthday, as one of his heroes and a great source of inspiration.“He let Canada Goose online me know that love for my canada goose black friday sale fellow brother was the strongest gift that could stop any and all hatred,” said Anderson.Middleweight boxer Bernard Hopkins is known for striking fear in his opponents with his hard hits. With a career record of 54-6, The Executioner has beaten the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. He and Mandela share two things in common: they both boxed and did time in jail. Hopkins changed his background picture Canada Goose sale on his phone to honor Nelson Mandela. “You know my history, you know my past,” Hopkins told EBONY.com.“I used to keep my jail mugshot on my phone Canada Goose Coats On Sale screen to remind me. I took it off.”Brandon Robinson is digital journalist who covers sports and pop culture. You can find his work in The SOURCE, VIBE, SLAM, TD DAILY, Regal Radio and MAXPREPS.com. He canadian goose jacket is also a lecturer at NJIT in Newark, NJ. You can follow him on Twitter@Scoop Band see more of his workhere.