Why you probably shouldn’t watch the Presidential debates
September 26, 2016Cavs point guard position suddenly an area of focus
September 26, 2016LeBron James’ quote machine has not skipped a beat. With Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day taking place in Independence on Monday afternoon, James was one of many Cavs players who were asked about the ongoing protests within professional sports, most of which are stemming from San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
While each player (in addition to head coach Tyronn Lue and GM David Griffin) was asked about his feelings on the matter, it was James who provided the most color, reflecting on his current life as a parent of three young children, raising them in a tumultuous time, and how he feels about his oldest son, LeBron Jr., inching toward obtaining a drivers license.
Here’s LeBron’s entire response:
First of all, I’m all in favor of anyone—athlete or non-athlete—being able to express what they believe in in a peaceful manner, and that’s what Colin Kaepernick is doing and I respect that. I think you guys know that when I’m passionate about something, I speak upon it. Me standing for the national anthem is something I will do. That’s who I am. That’s what I believe it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect or agree with what Colin Kaepernick is doing.
You have the right to voice your opinion, stand for your opinion, and he’s doing it in the most peaceful way I’ve ever seen someone do something. What I do not like about the situation is the negative attention that has been thrown upon him from certain people because it’s not deserved. He was very educated, very smart, very candid, and very demanding about what he wanted to do, and he didn’t ask anyone else to join him. He did it in the most peaceful manner I’ve ever seen.
My personal feelings is that I have a 12-year-old son, a 9-year-old son, and a 2-year-old daughter. I look at my oldest son being just four years removed from driving his own car and be able to leave the house on his own. It’s a scary thought right now that if my son were to be pulled over… You tell your kids that if you just [abide] and listen to the police that they will be respectful and things will work itself out. But then you see these videos continue to come out, and it’s a scary-ass situation that if my son calls me, and tells me he’s been pulled over, that I’m not that confident that things are going to go well and he’s going to return home. He just started the sixth grade.
We just want the conversation to continue, to keep going. I don’t have the answer—none of us have the answer—but the more times we can talk about it… I’m not up here saying that all police are bad, because they’re not. I’m not up here saying that all kids or adults are great, because they’re not. But at the same time, all lives do matter—it’s not black or white. It’s just tough being a parent right now when you have a pre-teen. But the conversation has continued from the ESPY speech that [we] had, and that’s a good thing.
The NBA, in partnering with the NBPA, has recently issued a press release regarding pre-game protests, stating that they as a league will continue to look for ways to address the root of individual concerns. In the release, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and players association head Michelle Roberts told players they are working to begin “developing substantive ways for us to come together and take meaningful action.” In the wake of the Kaepernick-related protests, the league had received several inquiries from players as to how they can spearhead positive discussions on race-related items. It referenced recent words spoken by James alongside New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles’ Chris Paul and Chicago’s Dwyane Wade wherein the four players urged for greater accountability across all parties.
Prior to James taking the stage in Independence, both Griffin and Lue voiced similar thoughts, focusing on the root issue more so than the individuals doing the protesting. “Far too much is being made of what form of non-violent protest someone chooses to implement and not nearly enough is being paid to the actually issues that spawned that outrage,” Griffin said. Both men said they will support any player who wishes to protest during the national anthem.
It appears, however, that the NBA will be working with teams across its footprint to develop ways for players to continue using their platform, furthering its foothold as the most progressive of the three professional leagues. James, following his media address, told the Associated Press that he will not recruit other members of the Cavaliers to be a part of any future discussions and that he will continue to do more within his foundation in attempt to inspire younger generations.
2 Comments
hmm….I like LeBron, the activist.
The NBA is so much smarter about this stuff than most other professional leagues. I am not sure why that is, but I am glad that they are.