Hank Aaron death: Ex-US President Barack Obama pays tribute to 'inspiring' MLB legend

MLB legend Henry Louis 'Hank' Aaron passed away late of Friday, January 23, 2021 (Saturday IST) at his Atlanta home. He was 86 and his long-time team Atlanta Braves confirmed that he passed away in his sleep. Regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the sport, Aaron had an unmatched legacy, as he battled through death threats at a time when racism was actively prevalent in the MLB and crowds were far more hostile than they are now today. 

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Hank Aaron death: Barack Obama pays tribute to MLB legend 

Former US President Barack Obama took to Twitter to pay his respects to Hank Aaron, who breathed his last on Friday. The 59-year-old wrote that Hank Aaron was one of the best baseball players ever and one of the strongest people he had ever met. Obama wrote that he along with his wife Michelle send their thoughts and prayers to the Aaron family and everyone who was inspired by Aaron, who was an unassuming man and a towering example.

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The Hank Aaron Barack Obama connect goes beyond baseball of course. The MLB legend's sheer resistance to racism and his illustrious career were one of the few things that inspired a young Obama before he became the first African-American president of the United States. As quoted by ABC News, the former US President said, "Whenever Michelle and I spent time with Hank and his wife Billye, we were struck by their kindness, generosity, and grace—and were reminded that we stood on the shoulders of a previous generation of trailblazers". 

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Hank Aaron stats 

Hank Aaron was among the first wave of Black stars to play in MLB after his idol Jackie Robinson, who was the first Black man to do so. Aaron was also one of the first Black men to be in a senior management position in MLB. In his stellar career, the Braves legend finished with a career average of .305 and remains baseball’s all-time leader in RBI (2,297) and extra-base hits (1,477). He scored at least 100 runs in a record 13 consecutive seasons from 1955-67. He also ranks third all-time in hits with 3,771. Incredibly, if you deleted all 755 of his home runs, he still would have exceeded 3,000 hits.

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(Image Courtesy: AP)