Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has always been one to speak his mind, whether it’s about basketball or social issues off the court.
James has been one of the leading voices among athletes regarding racism and the troubles the Black community has faced over the years.
LeBron also spoke out in support of Jewish people after Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was suspended for sharing a video with anti-semitic views, saying he doesn’t condone hate of any kind.
After Wednesday night’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, James concluded his postgame presser by once again speaking his mind on something bigger than basketball. LeBron actually asked the media a question, wondering why he hasn’t been asked about the photo of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that surfaced of him at 14 years of age observing Black students being harassed in Arkansas after the end of segregation.
James wanted to know why the media was quick to ask him about Irving, but not Jones:
James spoke about how Black athletes or celebrities are put through the wringer for their mistakes while people like Jones are allowed to slip by.
“When I watch Kyrie talk and he says, ‘I know who I am, but I want to keep the same energy when we’re talking about my people and the things that we’ve been through,’ and that Jerry Jones photo is one of those moments that our people, Black people, have been through in America. And I feel like as a Black man, as a Black athlete, as someone with power and a platform, when we do something wrong, or something that people don’t agree with, it’s on every single tabloid, every single news coverage, it’s on the bottom ticker. It’s asked about every single day.
“But it seems like to me that the whole Jerry Jones situation, photo — and I know it was years and years ago and we all make mistakes, I get it — but it seems like it’s just been buried under, like, ‘Oh, it happened. OK, we just move on.’ And I was just kind of disappointed that I haven’t received that question from you guys.”
While James used Irving and Jones as examples, the real point he was making was regarding the double standard that Black people face with how their mistakes are framed compared to people of other races.
James recently spoke out about how he is no longer a fan of the Dallas Cowboys due to Jones’ response to the Colin Kaepernick situation and players kneeling during the National Anthem in the NFL.
Even if it came at the media’s expense on Wednesday, James is raising attention to an issue that he is passionate about and hits close to home. He understands that his voice carries a lot of weight and is using it to try to inspire change, which is respectable even if you don’t always agree with him.
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