During the NBA finals, the basketball icon’s Los Angeles home was spray painted with racist graffiti that included the n-word.
At a press conference scheduled for the opening of the finals, James discussed the challenges of being Black in America.
“No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is — it’s tough,” says James. “And we got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African-Americans until we feel equal in America.”
James expressed relief that his family was unharmed but told reporters that if the vandalism could create discourse around the ongoing racial divide he would gladly go through it again.
“If this incident that happened to me and my family today can keep the conversation going and can shed light on us trying to figure out a way to keep progressing and not regressing, then I’m not against it happening to us again,” says James.
Last year, James tweeted an article about Philando Castile, a black man who was shot and killed by police in Minnesota after a routine traffic stop. In the tweet, James showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and said that he was sickened.
“This article says it all man! Sickens me and I shed multiple tears about it all,” says James. He followed up with two single tweets:
After an audio recording of Donald Sterling, the former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, making racist remarks became publicized, James told ESPN “it’s very disrespectful and it’s appalling.”
“There’s no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA — there is no room for him,” James says.
James called on the NBA to take a stand against Sterling and said that basketball players are the “model citizen of all sports” and are the “most recognizable figures.”
“Obviously, if the reports are true, it’s unacceptable in our league,” James tells ESPN. “It doesn’t matter, white, black or Hispanic — all across the races, it’s unacceptable. As the commissioner of our league, they have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don’t know what it will be, but we can’t have that in our league.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers star wore a T-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” while warming up for a game against the Brooklyn Nets.
“I Can’t Breathe” were the final words uttered by Eric Garner whose death in July, at the hands of a New York Police Department officer, sparked national outrage.
Former President Obama applauded James’ decision to wear the shirt in an interview with People Magazine.
“You know, I think LeBron did the right thing,” he tells People. “LeBron is an example of a young man who has, in his own way and in a respectful way, tried to say, ‘I’m part of this society, too’ and focus attention.”
James suited up with his close friend Dwayne Wade and several Miami Heat players for a photo before a game against the Detroit Pistons.
In the picture, the players wore hooded sweatshirts to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teen who was shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer. Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt when cops found his body.
Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.
See also:
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg speaks out on white supremacists
What to do if your boss bashes you in front of other employees
6 things you may not know about Trump’s new interim White House communications director