From assassination attempts and an incumbent President stepping down for his VP to a fiery debate and celebrity endorsements coming in from both sides, the 2024 US Presidential Election was anything but non-eventful. Polls are closing around the country, as results will arrive soon. Who will be the 47 president? The world may not know the outcome even today. Before polls closed, several celebrities came out to cast their votes. Even Klay Thompson and Julius Randle joined the efforts.

Earlier today, the official X account of the Dallas Mavericks uploaded a clip. It featured their newest acquisition, aka the former Warriors star arriving at a polling site to cast his vote. After taking pictures with fans while flashing the iconic ‘I Voted’ sticker, Thompson addressed the viewers by stating, “It’s just an incredible honor to be able to vote, so important as an American citizen to vote. It’s important to exercise your right, especially for all those who sacrificed for us to be able to do this.” He concluded his remarks by stating, “Get out and cast your vote.”

The Mavericks’ clip came out just 34 minutes before Julius Randle took to Instagram. The new Minnesota Timberwolves power forward/center uploaded a picture of himself, being all smiles and flashing his personal ‘I Voted’ sticker.

Over the last few months, several NBA stars have used their platforms to show support for either one of the presidential candidates. From Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry making individual speeches at the DNC to LeBron James giving his endorsement to Kamala Harris, many stars came out in support of the Vice President. Despite this, analysts predicted the race to be a dead heat, with the polls unable to decide a clear winner.

Therefore, even though Thompson and Randle did not show a preference towards a particular candidate, they still urged people to have their voices heard. After all, every vote counts.

For Klay Thompson and Julius Randle to come out in support of voting is bigger than one would think. After all, it not only serves as a message for NBA fans to vote, but it may also aim to reach their peers.

Julius Randle revealed how a gap of 4 years caused a majority of NBA players to register to vote

Donald Trump’s win in 2016 was reportedly one of the most shocking moments in US Political history. The same came as part of an increased voting effort where 136.66 million people voted compared to the 129 million cast votes in 2012. The list, however, may have excluded a majority of NBA players. After all, according to a report by Marc J Spears, only 20% of the eligible players voted in 2016.

By 2020, however, they implemented a big change. In an interview in October 2020, Chris Paul revealed “I’m so proud of our guys because I’m proud to announce that we have over 90 percent of our league registered to vote. 15 teams are 100 percent registered, and the jobs that guys have been doing just to be a little bit more educated on the situation and getting people out, recruiting poll workers and things like that, the bubble has been an unbelievable blessing.”

Having taken such a big step, we shouldn’t waste it during the ongoing election either. If Klay Thompson and Julius Randle’s words persuaded their peers to vote, what more could be desired?