The recent death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis has sent shockwaves through the country, sparking protests and demonstrations in seemingly every state across the country. This has led to many celebrities in all walks of life not only speaking up, but even going to the streets and some eve leading protests.
Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James has always been outspoken on social issues and this has been no different. James has already been on Instagram in the immediate aftermath of the death, making his message clear.
Though the vast majority of protests across the country have been peaceful, many others have devolved into rioting and looting, putting in danger many people and businesses. Despite this, James and his Lakers teammates have not lost sight of the initial point at hand and continue to push their message.
He, Anthony Davis, Danny Green, Alex Caruso and many other Lakers players took to Instagram to push a simple but effective message to the public.
Rioting and looting businesses is never ideal, but it is also extremely important to never lose sight of the initial point and why the protests started in the first place. Unfortunately there are always people who will take advantage of situations in order to benefit themselves and more often than not, those looting are not the people who are out protesting for change.
The Lakers players pushing this message is not only important for the cause at hand, but also shows solidarity amongst the team as well as within the Los Angeles community. The Lakers are the most visible brand in the city and one of the biggest in the entire country.
The team itself has released its own statement and now seeing players support the community and what people are fighting for is commendable.
The fact of the matter is that the player base of the NBA (and NFL) are majority African American. Floyd himself was a close friend of former NBA champion Stephen Jackson, so when players see another instance of police brutality it affects them deeply as the next victim could be their son, brother, uncle, nephew or cousin.
Regardless of how anyone feels about James the player, no one can question his values as a person and what he does off the court. The entire Lakers organization from the top down has shown where they stand on the issue and everyone is on the same page.