The NBA star said his thoughts on racial inequality cannot be properly represented on the back of a jersey, the Hill reports.
What We Know:
- As the push for social and racial justice increases around the country, the National Basketball Association is allowing each player to choose from a list of messages to put on the back of their jersey.
- Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James is one of the few who declined to choose a message from the list. “It was no disrespect to the list that was handed down to all the players,” James said. “I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal.”
- James hinted at the fact that he may not have been completely satisfied with the messages selected for the list, saying, “I would have loved to have a say-so on what would have went on the back of my jersey, I had a couple of things in mind, but I wasn’t part of that process, which is OK.”
- Regardless, James, highly regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time, noted that this movement is much bigger than words. “Everything that I do has a purpose, has a meaning. I don’t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I’m about and what I’m here to do.”
- Other players have decided to select messages in hopes of using their platform to promote positive change. James’ own teammate, JaVale McGee, said his jersey will display the phrase, “Respect Us”.
- The NBA will resume its 2020 season at the end of the month in Orlando in what they have described as a “bubble,” restricting access in hopes of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
As others called for a cancelation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and the impact of racial injustice, James was a strong proponent for playing, finding that the league took all the right measures to create a safe environment.
