U.S. men's national team player Tyler Adams says that he admires LeBron James for his commitment to serving the community after the Los Angeles Lakers star found himself in a public war of words with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The AC Milan striker criticized James for wading too deep into politics, only for the NBA icon to fire back by pointing out Ibrahimovic's own remarks on the racism he faced growing up in Sweden.
And Adams, like many current players making up the USMNT, has also been outspoken about his own commitment to fighting for equality and, in his case, helping provide food for those in need.
What did Adams have to say?
"I admire LeBron James for a lot of the things that he has done," he told Sky Sports. "He is clearly more than an athlete. He understands his role in the community and the effect that he can have on people.
"It is important to understand that there are so many looking up to you. If you have the platform to do good, there is nothing wrong with that."
He added: "Feeding America is one of the broader things I have done. For me, it is always important to think about what I can do in my community at home.
"I talked to my parents and they always have good ideas about what we can do to give back. We were really happy with how that worked out but there is so much more that can be done."
A big game against Liverpool
Having joined RB Leipzig in 2018 from the German side's sister club, the New York Red Bulls, Adams has been an ever-present player as Leipzig has moved into the upper echelon of German and European soccer.
The American scored the game-winning goal in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, helping push RB Leipzig past Atletico Madrid at the time.
This season, Adams has once again played a key role under Julian Nagelsmann as Leipzig looks to erase a two-goal deficit against struggling Liverpool on Wednesday.
"Anyone who watched that first game would say it was a great game of football," he said. "Two mistakes obviously let us down a little bit but we left that field thinking we could have got more from this game. I think that is important for us going into the second leg.
"Obviously, playing Liverpool is always tough and we respect them but we also need teams to respect us.
"We are going out there to give our all and get a result. The plan really is just to keep focusing game by game. That is what has kept us humble and successful."
Adams' interest in psychology
Like most, Adams has interests outside of football, even as he helps RB Leipzig pursue another run through the Champions League.
But, while he remains determined to make his mark on the pitch, Adams also has an off-the-field interest in psychology, which he believes has helped his game as well.
"I am more fortunate, right? When you have a job where you are making money already and studying on the side, you can focus on something that really interests you rather than going into a field for money when a lot of kids at 17 or 18 have no idea what they want to do with their lives yet," he said.
"It is important to understand the psychological side of the game because there are things you need to deal with, criticisms that you need to handle, so many nuances that you need to be successful."