“I look at my son being four years removed from driving his own car and being able to leave the house on his own,” LeBron told reporters in a press conference on Sept. 26. “It’s a scary thought right now to think if my son gets pulled over — and you tell your kids if you just apply and you just listen to the police that they will be respectful and things will work itself out. And you see these videos that continue to come out, it’s a scary a** situation that if my son calls me and said he’s been pulled over that I’m not that confident that things are gonna go well and my son is gonna return home.”
LeBron made sure to stress that he wasn’t insisting police are bad while expressing his fears. But recent events have certainly made him worry about what could happen to his two boys, LeBron James, Jr., 11, and Bryce Maximus, 9, as they get older if things continue the way they have been lately. Watch a video from the press conference below:
The most recent police controversy occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when officer Betty Shelby shot and killed an unarmed black man named Terence Crutcher after finding his car in the middle of the road — and the entire incident was caught on camera. Although Betty was charged with manslaughter (but has yet to be convicted), it simply added to LeBron’s fear for his sons.
Amidst all of the violence lately, fellow pro athlete Colin Kaepernick has spent the first games of the 2016 season kneeling during the national anthem in protest. This has sparked quite the debate around the country, with several NFL players following suit as the season progresses. LeBron has engaged in a peaceful protest of his own in the past, wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt in protest of the police brutality that killed Eric Garner in 2014. But when it comes to the national anthem, he won’t be following Colin’s lead.
“When I’m passionate about something, I’ll speak up on it, so me standing for the national anthem is something I will do. That’s who I am, that’s what I believe in. But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect and don’t agree with what Colin Kaepernick is doing,” he added. ”You have the right to voice your opinion, stand for your opinion and he’s doing it in the most peaceful way I’ve ever seen someone do something.”
If the violence doesn’t dwindle as LeBron’s sons get older, we may just see LeBron join Colin in protest. We sure hope the police brutality does get better soon, though — and it sounds like LeBron definitely does too!
What do you think of LeBron’s concerns for his sons? Should he join Colin in protest? Tell us below!
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