LeBron James used a post-scrimmage press conference to demand justice for Breonna Taylor on Thursday night (July 23). The Los Angeles Lakers star has brought attention to Taylor’s case — and others’ — frequently over the past several weeks.
“First of all, I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that’s going on with that situation,” James said.
“We want the cops arrested who committed that crime. In the state of Kentucky — what’s going on down there — I know a lot of people are feeling the same,” he continued. “Us as the NBA and [as] players — me as one of the leaders of this league — I want her family to know and I want the state of Kentucky to know that we feel for her and we want justice. That’s what it’s all about. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.”
The All-Star MVP also pointed out that while visual evidence has helped George Floyd’s case progress, Taylor’s fight for justice has been slower. All four former officers involved in the May 25 death of Floyd have been arrested and charged with either second-degree murder or aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Whereas in the case of Taylor, who was fatally shot during a police raid back in March, only one officer has been fired from the police department.
“I mean, is that what we need to see? A video of Breonna being killed to realize how bad the situation is?” he asked.
James paid tribute to Taylor by writing her name on his sneakers. Ahead of the relaunched basketball season, the NBA has allowed players to wear social justice statements in lieu of their last name on their team jerseys.
Also during Thursday night’s Orlando scrimmage, James advocated that Black Lives Matter is a lifestyle, rather than a “movement.”
“A lot of people kind of use this analogy, talking about Black Lives Matter as a movement. It’s not a movement,” he said. “When you’re Black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle. We sit here and say it’s a movement and, ok, how long is this movement going to last?”
See a clip from James’ press conference below. The 2020 NBA season is set to resume on July 30.