Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election, bringing an end to Donald Trump's turbulent four years in office, set off a flood of congratulations and reactions from American athletes.
NBA star LeBron James, who led a high-profile effort to drive voter turnout and one of the leading supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, tweeted a photo of one of the most famous moments of his glittering career, when he pulled off a spectacular block of Andre Iguodala during the 2016 NBA finals, but replaced his face with Biden's and his opponent's with Trump.
He also addressed a message to Philadelphia, the biggest city in the state of Pennsylvania, which swung the election in Biden's favour.
"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Let's celebrate! Responsibly still."
Another sports star Trump repeatedly tussled with was World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, who shortly after Saturday’s result came in tweeted a thank you to “Black Women”, who voted overwhelmingly for Biden in this year’s election.
Rapinoe was one of the first white athletes to kneel during the US national anthem and has called Trump sexist and misogynistic. Before the 2019 World Cup she said she would not go to the White House celebrations if the US lifted the trophy, a promise she kept.
She and fiancée Sue Bird, an four-time WNBA champion, spent Monday on a call to encourage people phone banking for the now president-elect. Bird broke out a celebratory post a la James.
Rapinoe's international teammate Alex Morgan also joined in the celebrations. The striker, who made her Women's Premier League debut for Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Reading, must have been in the dressing room when she heard the news.
She tweeted a picture of Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, who will become both the first female vice president as well as the first woman of colour to hold that office.
Women's National Basketball Association players also celebrated Harris becoming the first woman to be on a winning presidential election ticket.
The reigning US Open women's champion, Naomi Osaka, was also in celebratory mood. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who wore facemasks bearing the names of black Americans killed by police during her run to the title in September and who has also spoken of her support for Black Lives Matter, posted this GIF after Biden won Nevada, adding to his electoral vote total after winning the presidency.
Basketball hall of famer Magic Johnson, who has been part owner of a number of Los Angeles sports franchises including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers, said he was celebrating for the third time in the past few weeks.
"Today I completed my trifecta: the Lakers, the Dodgers, and now #BidenHarris!! It's been a fantastic 30 days!" Johnson wrote.
American Kyle Lowry, who plays in Canada for the NBA's Toronto Raptors, is glad his vote helped make a difference.
"Your vote counts!!!!" he said
