Former President Donald Trump released a press statement Thursday, saying LeBron James should focus on basketball instead of his “racist rants.”
“LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League,” Trump’s statement read. “His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!”
The Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted a picture of police officer Nicholas Reardon, who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16-year-old who swung a knife at another woman on Tuesday. “YOU’RE NEXT,” the 36-year-old NBA player tweeted Wednesday. “#ACCOUNTABILITY.” (RELATED: ‘Demonizing, Attacking Law Enforcement’ — Ted Cruz Slams LeBron James After Tweeting Out Photo Of Columbus Police Officer)
In a follow-up post, James tweeted, “This is HOURS after the verdict!!! Do not stop. We cannot let up. Not for one second. #votersuppressionisracsim #ACCOUNTABILITY.”
This is HOURS after the verdict!!! Do not stop. We cannot let up. Not for one second. #votersuppressionisracsim #ACCOUNTABILITY https://t.co/I3ayQrSimp
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021
The basketball player deleted the original tweet and explained his reasoning behind the decision on Twitter. “I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police,” James tweeted. “I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer. It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”