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LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates were already upset after a Wisconsin prosecutor on Tuesday decided not to charge a police officer who shot a black man last year.
Then came Wednesday when a violent mob loyal to U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to delay Congress from certifying the November election results.
What James watched on television with his family continued to strengthen his view of the great divide in the country.
“We live in two Americas and that was a great example of that yesterday. If you don’t understand or see this, you need to take a step back. Not just one step, but four, five or even 10 steps back, ”James said Thursday night after finishing with 27 points, the team’s top, in the Lakers’ 118-109 loss to the San Spurs. Antonio. “How do you want your children or grandchildren to live in this beautiful country? Because yesterday was not that.
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(@NBATV)“I couldn’t help but wonder, if it was my type to storm the Capitol, what would have been the result?” @King James discusses yesterday’s events in Washington, DC pic.twitter.com/Csgl7ZeSSi
“I couldn’t help but wonder if these were my peers in the assault on Capitol Hill, what would have been the result. We all know what would have happened if someone got even closer to the storm or walked into the offices.
James wore a shirt as he walked into Staples Center before the game that said, “DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? in large print. He also wrote the message on his sneakers during the game. In smaller letters, the shirt also contained a slogan summoned by James in the past: “In memory of the countless lives of blacks lost to police brutality and racial injustice.”
The four-time NBA MVP expanded his thoughts in an Instagram post, describing the situation as “2 AMERIKKKAS”:
DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW ??? !! I know the answer to that. You still do not cause no matter what happens you still will not be judged, looked crazy, chained, beaten, shot because of the color of your skin !!! 2 AMERIKKKAS we live in and it was at FULL CAPACITY LIVE Yesterday in our Nations CAPITAL TO CAPITAL !! 🤦🏾♂️😢😢😢. #IPrayForBetterDaysForMyPeople 🙏🏾✊🏾🖤👑
When asked what we mean by his shirt, James said he wanted people to understand what athletes and black people are saying.
“You will never understand what it feels like to be a black man and woman in America,” James said. “Do you understand how difficult it is for us to continue to inspire and give all we have? Everyone jumps on the bandwagon of what we provide, what we bring.
“The way we dress, our music, our culture, our food. Everyone steals what we do and then they want to act like they did or they brought it into this world. We are not getting our due diligence. We are not respected. We are not getting anything back for what we gave to this country other than a slap in the face. “
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(@NBATV)“We are not getting back anything that we have given to this country other than a slap in the face.” @King James shares her thoughts on being black in America. pic.twitter.com/d4sx6XnmD5
Tuesday’s decision by a Kenosha, Wis., Prosecutor not to lay charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake sparked anger across the NBA. Blake’s shooting was one of several social issues players focused on last summer when play resumed in the Orlando, Florida bubble.
James remained a critic of Trump during his four years in office and said what happened on Capitol Hill was a direct correlation to what Trump stood for.
“The events that took place yesterday were a direct correlation with the president who is in the seat right now: his actions, his beliefs, his wishes,” James said. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Nobody. Absolutely no one. He doesn’t care about this country. He doesn’t care about his family. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.
“We’ve seen the tweets all the way to this destruction. In the past four years, we all knew. One thing you can never get back is time. We literally shit for four years. How can we get this back? “
He added: “Yesterday was shameful. We’re supposed to be setting an example for all other countries on how to run things and change the world and yesterday we looked like a third, fourth, fifth world country. It was just very embarrassing.
Players and coaches from both teams locked their arms in a circle in midfield during the national anthem ahead of Thursday’s game at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Jovan buha
(@jovanbuha)Lakers, Spurs lock arms in half-court circle during national anthem pic.twitter.com/fICtAd1NEb
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who also didn’t hesitate to voice his take on Trump, said he believes the president enjoyed Wednesday’s insurgency.
“I believe with all my heart that Trump appreciated this,” Popovich said 90 minutes before the report. “They talked about the police and how easy it was and the barriers were pulled and they just walked in. It doesn’t happen unless there’s a wink and a nod somewhere. It just doesn’t happen. This has never happened at a protest that anyone has ever attended.
“That’s why I don’t think it’s so far-fetched that people start talking about the 25th Amendment. We know that is unlikely to happen.
Popovich also took the time to praise James, calling him an “iconic figure.”
“As a human being and a citizen and someone who looks at the social problems of our time, he doesn’t do it with hatred. He’s just telling the truth, ”Popovich said of James.
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