As the best professional boxer of the 20th century, and renowned activist, Muhammad Ali once said, “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”

National Basketball Association (NBA) all stars Lebron James and Kevin Durant have lived up to that.

They proved their value with their responses to Laura Ingraham, a Fox News commentator, who recently went on a rant about how James and Durant should “shut up and dribble” instead of using their platforms to initiate positive change.

Her outrage was sparked after an interview with the pair on the TV show “Uninterrupted” where the two athletes spoke about the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida that ended with 17 people dead and 14 others injured.

The interview resulted in mass outrage and slander toward the athletes by right-wing media outlets.

Ingraham said that James is too uneducated to speak about these issues.

She even stated that James dropped out of high school early to join the NBA — a claim that is patently false.

However, her comments backfired because even more coaches and athletes have spoken out about the country’s broken gun laws.

Professional athletes should continue to voice their support for reforming gun laws.

Historically, athletes have been the people who inspire the masses by creating social movements with grass-root foundations.

In the days of Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, John Carlos and Tommie Smith athletes were expected to shut up and play their sport. They had to choose between speaking for what’s right or remaining silent.

In that time, much like today, the climate of the country was a constant reminder that anytime they spoke up, the potential of being blackballed by people in their sport increased in probability.

Victims of gun violence support the likes of James and Durant or anybody who has spoken out against conservative gun policy and the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Attempting to shift the moral compass of Republicans, or the all mighty lobbying power of the NRA, is a tough task.

The NRA and GOP will continue to push manipulated narratives through tools like Fox and Breitbart News.

As those entities undermine the public’s gun-reduction sentiment, athletes need to follow the lead of James and Durant

Every time these men speak on social issues, they always present their arguments eloquently and they dismiss their detractors with class.

The NRA does not want athletes to speak up on gun control because, ultimately, they understand the true