LeBron has just topped my list as ‘most annoying celebutard/athelete’ on the planet!
The language and tone fully captured LeBron James’ ongoing frustration with police killing unarmed Black people.
“It’s just (expletive) up in our community……I know people get tired of hearing me say it. But we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified.”
LeBron James
With horror, James watched footage that showed police officers shooting Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man in Kenosha, Wis., seven times. James expressed gratitude “through the grace of God that he’s still living” and offered support and prayers toward the Blake family.
James also expressed frustration with yet another incident of police brutality toward unarmed Black people.
“If you’re sitting here and telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him or just before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and lying to not only me…….But you’re lying to every African American, every Black person in the community. because we see it over and over and over.”
LeBron James
They saw it in 2013 when George Zimmerman shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin despite being unarmed and wearing a hoodie in his Florida neighborhood. They saw it in 2014 when a police officer choked and killed Eric Garner. They saw it in March when three police officers mistook Breonna Taylor as a suspect for an ex-boyfriend’s laundering operation and killed her while she was asleep. They saw it on Memorial Day weekend when a police officer knelt and killed George Floyd. And they saw it on Sunday when Kenosha police responded to a domestic incident by shooting Blake seven times as he was walking unarmed toward his car.
“There were multiple moments where if they wanted to, they could’ve tackled him. They could’ve grabbed him……..They could’ve done that. Why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing and his family is there and the kids are there. It’s in broad daylight. If that video is not being taken by that person across the street, do we even know if we even see that video?”
LeBron James
James sounded annoyed, exasperated and tired as he spoke for nearly 15 minutes following the Lakers’ 135-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. He had wanted to relish the Lakers’ Game 4 win that gives them a 3-1 series lead. He had wanted to honor former Lakers legend Kobe Bryant as the team honored what would have been his 42nd birthday Sunday if not for his passing seven months ago. But no.
“I can’t even enjoy a playoff win right now, which is the sad part.”
LeBron James
Another sad part? James had spoken at length about this topic already for the past four months. He became among the first athletes to speak out about Floyd’s killing. He had devoted several post-game press conferences calling for police to be held accountable for Taylor’s killing. And on Monday, James detailed how Blake’s shooting captures why many in the Black community distrust law enforcement.
Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James on police shootings: ‘We are scared as Black people in America’
Calamity Jane