LeBron fears racism he says Trump ignites
Cavaliers star concerned with division in country
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — LeBron James used Martin Luther King Day to not only again voice his criticism of President Donald Trump, but to express his fear of what the current leadership in Washington is inviting in America.
“The state of racism will never die, but what we cannot do is allow it to conquer us as people,” James said after shootaround before the Cavs hosted the Golden State Warriors. “We can’t allow it to divide us. The guy in control has given people and racism, and negative racism, an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear. And that’s the fearful thing for us because it’s with you, and it’s around every day, but he’s allowed people to come out and
just feel confident about doing negative things.
“We can’t allow that to stop us from continuing to be together and preach the right word of livin’ and lovin’ and laughin’ and things of that nature. Because would we want to live anywhere else? I don’t think so. We love this place.”
Asked what the civil rights leader would think of his activism, James said: “Well, I hope I could make him proud or made him proud. Just taking what he was able to give to us and give us that type of empowerment, give us that type of strength to be able to go out and talk about things that really matter. Be able to live for something that’s more than you as an individual. Hopefully I’m making him proud still with him looking down on us.”
James praised the NBA for putting together a showcase slate of 11 games on the holiday that honors King.
“I think it’s unbelievable what the NBA has done, to be able to have this many games, a lot of great games today, on such a great day for a man who stood for more than himself,” James said. “You always hear people saying, ‘Risking their life.’ He actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us to be able to live in a free world and for us to be able to have a voice, for us to go out and be free no matter your skin color, no matter who you are, no matter the height and size and the weight or whatever the case may be, wherever you are, he had a vision and he took a bullet for all of us. Literally. In the rawest way that you could say that. He literally took a bullet for us.
“And for us to stand here even though we’re trying to be (divided) right now by somebody, today is a great day for people to realize how America was built and how we all have to stand united in order to be at one.”