Thabo Sefolosha shows why 'sticking to sports' isn't a viable option

Three years ago, LeBron James and his teammates paid tribute to slain teenager Trayvon Martin. The decision drew praise from many and scorn from others. Stick to sports, they said. A year ago, in the wake of the killing of Mike Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, five St. Louis Rams made the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture while entering the field. The decision drew praise from many and scorn from others, including St. Louis' police union. Stick to sports, they said. Ten months ago, in the wake of a grand jury declining to indict a New York City cop who choked Eric Garner to death for selling loosies, Derrick Rose wore a t-shirt that read "I can't breathe," a nod to Garner's tragic final words. The decision drew praise from many and scorn from others. Stick to sports, they said.

Last April, Thabo Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks got his leg broken by a New York City cop for no good reason. Thabo Sefolosha didn't have the option of sticking to sports, did he?

After breaking Sefolosha's leg, authorities pursued obstruction charges. The case against Sefolosha was comically weak. Reports suggest prosecutors offered him a plea deal which would commit the player to a day of community service and result in charges being dropped so long as Sefolosha (who had no record whatsoever) didn't get in trouble in the next six months. He declined the deal. Later, prosecutors came back with a better offer: no community service, charges will be dropped in six months if Sefolosha's (clean) record remained clean. He declined that deal, as well. On Friday, a jury of Sefolosha's peers completely and quickly exonerated the player.

Thabo was lucky. He had the money to hire a good lawyer. He had a boss, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, willing to testify in support of him. He's represented by a union that went to bat for him, both in ensuring he'd get a paycheck despite his injury and in ensuring he had what he needed as the case went to trial. Thabo was lucky in that he's a professional basketball player and not someone without the resources to defend himself in court.

Thabo was also lucky that the cop Thabo faced didn't put him in a fatal chokehold or unload a handgun into him. Being a pro basketball player didn't save him from those fates, because as Thabo learned all too well, being a pro basketball player won't save you from an overzealous police offer intent on misusing his badge and his authority. This could have been much worse. For others, it has been much worse.

This is why LeBron and Rose speak up when injustice and death befalls other Americans: because they know it could just as well have been them. It's not about cops, either: both LeBron and Rose and countless other pro athletes (black and white) have been vocal about social issues that affect our communities because they know it could all happen to them. Rose has donated millions toward programs intent on stemming the bloodshed caused by gun violence in Chicago. LeBron recently spoke out in support of gun control measures after a series of tragedies in Cleveland.

John Wall and other NBA stars have offered their public support and cash for similar efforts far beyond the narrow concern of police violence. In many cases, they do these things because they see themselves in the people they are helping. LeBron, Rose and Wall remember what it was like to grow up in neighborhoods without hope, and they understand the power their examples and their resources hold. That's why they don't stick to sports.

Thabo Sefolosha may have never intended to defend the free speech of pro athletes when he set out to exonerate himself, but he didn't skirt those responsibilities either.

"It's troubling to me that with so much evidence in my support that this case would even be brought to trial and that I had to defend myself so hard to get justice," he said in a statement. "It pains me to think about all of the innocent people who aren't fortunate enough to have the resources, visibility and access to quality legal counsel that I have had.

Sefolosha didn't stick to sports. By standing up for himself, he held strong for others. Social activism should never require justification.

This article originally appeared on SB Nation written by Tom Ziller.  Follow him on Twitter @teamziller