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Instead, James started the nearly 15-minute
session by talking about the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a
Black emergency medical technician in Kentucky who was killed in
March when plainclothes officers executed a no-knock warrant
related to a narcotics investigation.
James, 35, then focused on the lack of progress in race
relations over the past four years before transitioning into the
meaning of Black Lives Matter.
"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 following the Lakers' 108-104
loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
James wrote "#Justice4BreonnaT" in marker on his sneakers for
the game. It's a gesture he has done in the past dating to the
death of Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old who was killed near
Orlando in 2012.
"Never afraid to speak about things that I was knowledgeable
about, that I had insight on and that I was up to speed on,"
James said. "With the Trayvon Martin case that was obviously
years ago, with that situation I spoke about that, that
situation. The George Floyd incident that happened not too long
ago, that's a horrible incident. And obviously the Breonna
Taylor situation.
"It's unfortunate that -- well, it's fortunate that we had the
George Floyd video to see it. I mean, is that what we need to
see -- a video of Breonna being killed -- for people to realize
how bad the situation is?"
James then turned his attention to the phrase Black Lives
Matter.
"A lot of people kind of use this analogy, talking about Black
Lives Matter as a movement. It's not a movement," James 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? 'Don't stop the movement.' No, this is a
walk of life. When you wake up and you're Black, that is what it
is. It shouldn't be a movement. It should be a lifestyle. This
is who we are. ...
"I don't like the word 'movement' because, unfortunately, in
America and in society, there ain't been no damn movement for
us. There ain't been no movement."
A 16-time All-Star, James is averaging 25.7 points, 10.6 assists
and 7.9 rebounds this season.
The Lakers are slated to open the restarted season on Thursday
against the Los Angeles Clippers at the ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex near Orlando. The Lakers currently are the top
seed in the Western Conference, 5.5 games ahead of the Clippers.
--Field Level Media
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