Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva challenged the NBA star Monday in hopes of creating a better chance of finding the man who shot two Compton police deputies, Fox News reports.
What We Know:
- The current reward for information regarding the suspect and his whereabouts currently sits at $175,000, $100,000 of which came from the county while the remaining $75,000 came from two private donors. Villanueva challenged the Lakers forward to match that amount Monday speaking on the John Phillips Show, a KABC radio program.
- “This challenge is to LeBron James. I want you to match that and double that reward,” Villanueva said. “I know you care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting statement about your perspective on race relations and on officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African-American community and I appreciated that. But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all professions.”
- James has been an active supporter of the fight for racial equality. He has been particularly vocal about the shootings of African Americans by police officers that have come to light following the death of George Floyd. The following tweet details his reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
And y’all wonder why we say what we say about the Police!! Someone please tell me WTF is this???!!! Exactly another black man being targeted. This shit is so wrong and so sad!! Feel so sorry for him, his family and OUR PEOPLE!! We want JUSTICE https://t.co/cJxOj1EZ3H
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 24, 2020
- The LeBron James Foundation has not yet returned Fox News’ messages for a statement.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals in the NBA bubble where they’ll face the winner of Tuesday’s Western Conference Semifinal game 7 matchup between the LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.
