Lebron James and his fellow Lakers are determined to get justice for Breonna Taylor “by any means.”
On Tuesday (Aug.18) night, ahead of their first playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers, James was spotted wearing a red hat that, from afar, could have appeared to be a MAGA hat. A closer view of the hat, however, shows the words “Great Again” crossed off and replaced with “Arrest the cops that murdered Breonna Taylor.” The entire message: Make America arrest the cops that murdered Breonna Taylor.
The basketball star, who has often made fashion statements en route to his games, paired the hat with a shirt that read “By Any Means.”
Lakers players Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Jared Dudley, Quinn Cook, Rajon Rondo, Danny Green and JR Smith were also seen cosigning the message with their revamped Trump hats.
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot and killed by Louisville officers who entered her home amid a drug investigation using a no-knock warrant. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker assumed the plainclothes cops were intruders, fired his gun and prompted a shootout that resulted in Taylor being shot eight times.
Since getting wind of her tragic story, James has been adamant in his demand that Taylor’s killers get arrested. During a post-game press conference in July, he used his platform to speak up for the late EMT.
“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.”
James also honored Taylor previously by writing her name on a pair of his Nike sneakers.