LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers made a statement Tuesday night by showing up to their game with red, MAGA style hats.
What We Know:
- Ahead of their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, Lakers players arrived at the game wearing red hats. The hats resemble the MAGA hats worn by Donald Trump supporters, but their message was very different. The text read “Make America
Great AgainArrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor.”
Demand Justice #LakeShow ✖️ @Firstent pic.twitter.com/DSLEZaRiuw
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 18, 2020
- Louisville Police forcefully entered Breonna Taylor‘s apartment and shot her to death on March 13th. The officers responsible are Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove and none have been arrested five months later. Protesters have rallied around Taylor and George Floyd and other victims of police brutality to demand justice.
- The NBA and WNBA have tried to use their seasons to keep the national spotlight on social justice issues. Players wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts and often use their post-game media availability to express their thoughts on police violence and systemic racism.
“It’s just something that we continue to put our foot on the gas, continue to pressure. The situation that’s going on in Louisville, Kentucky, an innocent woman being killed, by the name of Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future, and her life was taken away from her. There have been no arrests. There’s been no justice – not only for her but for her family. We want to continue to shed light on that situation. It’s just unjust.” – LeBron James
- The hats divided people on social media. There were plenty of people who praised the Lakers for keeping the attention on Breonna Taylor and demanding justice for her and her family. However, there were those who called out the Lakers for parodying the MAGA hats and giving more unnecessary attention to Donald Trump and his supporters. There is also valid criticism on social media for turning Breonna Taylor’s death into a meme rather than a demand for justice. People are worried that “Justice for Breonna Taylor” has become so viral and so repeated for likes that it has lost its original meaning.
Stop meme-ing Breonna Taylor’s death and stop remixing this anti-black hat https://t.co/UkwyoOQ9WO
— Wongo Okon (@whereswongo) August 19, 2020
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 16 assists, becoming the first player in NBA playoff history with a 20-15-15 triple-double. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and Blazers defeated the Lakers 100-93 to take a 1-0 series lead.
