San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
JAMES SENDING HIS OWN MESSAGE
Lebron James won’t have a social justice message on the back of his jersey for the NBA’S restart, the Lakers Allstar forward said during a video call with reporters Saturday afternoon.
“I will continue to do (work) off the floor and when I’m talking to you guys — everything that I do has a purpose, it has a meaning,” James said. “So, 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.
“But I commend everybody and I respect everybody that decided to put something on the back of their jersey. I think that’s great and I also respect anyone that didn’t.”
James spoke before the Lakers’ first practice since March, when the NBA season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Lakers arrived in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday night and immediately began a 36-hour quarantine. They cleared that quarantine around midday Eastern time Saturday and were able to leave their hotel rooms and prepare for practice.
In planning the restart to the NBA season, the league and players’ union worked together to decide to allow players to replace the names on the back of their jerseys with a preapproved slogan. They approved 29: Black Lives
Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can’t Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Si Se Puede, Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-racist, I Am A Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform, and Mentor.
“It’s just something that didn’t really seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal,” James said. “I would have loved to have the say so on what would have went on the back of my jersey. I had a couple things in mind but I wasn’t part of that process, which is OK. I’m absolutely OK with that.”
James isn’t the only Lakers player to express lukewarm sentiments about the league providing a preapproved list in conjunction with the players’ union (National Basketball Players Association), which did not consult most of its membership. Kyle Kuzma said he wishes he could have chosen a more personal message.
Some Lakers have decided to use the preapproved slogans. Javale Mcgee plans to put “Respect Us” on the back of his jersey.
“I definitely feel like respect is a key factor in social injustices,” Mcgee said. “I feel like we definitely need to get equality, we definitely need to get the same respect everybody else does. It’s just a blessing to have this platform and the NBA doing everything they’re doing to help also.”
Notable
Danny Green and Dwight Howard missed Lakers practice Saturday because of glitches in the coronavirus testing process, according to people familiar with the situation.
Green and Howard are both expected to be able to join the team today.