Last night was an emotional night for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, beyond the fact that it was a night in which they honored the memory of Kobe Bryant with a dominating win to take a 3-1 series lead into Wednesday’s Game 4. Yesterday’s game also took place with the backdrop of another Black man being shot by police, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
LeBron was excellent in last night’s win, but after the game, he turned the focus to Blake and the way Black people are treated by law enforcement. He discussed how Black people feel ‘hunted’ by law enforcement and he also shared his own stories as a youth running from the cops out of fear, even when he did nothing wrong.
Lakers’ LeBron James: “I think firearms are a huge issue in America. They’re not just used for hunting. For Black people right now, we think you’re hunting us.” pic.twitter.com/ifDjdqy5W8
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 25, 2020
Lakers’ LeBron James on a video of kid shooting hoops at home hiding from police: “That s***’s sad. I know what he’s going through. When I lived in the projects, if we saw a cop, we hid behind the brick wall. When the lights went on, we ran, even if we didn’t do anything wrong.” pic.twitter.com/aR8cEZ1m3M
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 25, 2020
James has been vocal throughout the NBA restart, both behind the microphone and on social media, when it comes to issues of police brutality as well as issues of voter suppression, which is he is helping combat with a new non-profit, More Than A Vote.
