Source: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty
The NBA is back, but the fight for social justice continues, and of the leaders in the league is making sure Breonna Taylor’s murders are brought to justice.
On the court, it’s business as usual for LeBron James, who looked like he hasn’t missed a beat despite not playing professional basketball for months. Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ first tuneup game against the Dallas Mavericks, James scored 12 points, dished out 5 assists in limited minutes, Bron met with the invited press and let it be known he hasn’t lost sight about what is going outside of the bubble.
Answering the first question presented to him, which was basketball-related, Bron answered it by calling for the arrest of the police officers who viciously took the life of Breonna Taylor.
“First of all, I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that’s going on with that situation.”
James continued:
“We want the cops arrested who committed that crime. In the state of Kentucky, what’s going on down there, I know a lot of people are feeling the same. Us as the NBA, and [as] players, me as one of the leaders of this league, I want her family to know, and I want the state of Kentucky to know that we feel for her and we want justice. That’s what it’s all about. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.”
Bron wasn’t done either when asked about Black Lives Matter which adorns the NBA’s bubble court, James detailed that he is not there or calling BLM a movement but accurately describes it as a way of life for Black people every day.
“A lot of people kind of use this analogy, talking about Black Lives Matter as a movement. It’s not a movement.”
“When you’re Black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle. We sit here and say it’s a movement, and, OK, how long is this movement going to last? ‘Don’t stop the movement.’ No, this is a walk of life. When you wake up, and you’re Black, that is what it is. It shouldn’t be a movement. It should be a lifestyle. This is who we are. …
“I don’t like the word ‘movement’ because, unfortunately, in America and in society, there ain’t been no damn movement for us. There ain’t been no movement.”
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James might be the most prominent voice in the league calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, but he’s not the only one. Bron’s teammates Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso, Philadelphia 76ers star Tobias Harris, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, Boston Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart, Milwaukee Bucks swingman Sterling Brown, Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis all have spoken up about Taylor.
Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant was the first player to bring up Breaonna Taylor at the NBA bubble dedicating his entire interview to Taylor.
“It’s great to be here with my teammates, great to be back playing basketball, but for me personally, and I think a lot of players, it’s imperative that we focus on what is really important in the world,” Grant said on July 15. “One thing for me is Breonna Taylor’s killers are still roaming around free, so I want to focus on that with these interviews and things like that. I want to keep the focus there.”
The NBA is leading the charge in making sure they are not taking the focus off what’s important.
Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty
