Skip to content

LEAGUES News

LeBron thinks BLM is more than a movement: 'This is a walk of life'

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

LeBron James is pushing back against the characterization of the phrase "Black Lives Matter" as a movement. The Los Angeles Lakers star says it has a distinctly personal meaning for Black people in America.

"A lot of people kind of use this analogy about 'Black Lives Matter' as a movement. It's not a movement," James said after Thursday's scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks. "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 gonna last? Don't stop the movement.' 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."

James added: "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."

The phrase "Black Lives Matter" often refers to the decentralized organization of the same name, which describes itself as a movement. According to the group's website, its mission is "to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes."

James also used his media availability to call for the arrest of the police officers responsible for the killing of Louisville EMT Breonna Taylor.

"We want the cops arrested who committed that crime, obviously," James said. "In the state of Kentucky, what's going down there, I know a lot of people that's feeling the same. Us as the NBA and us as players, and 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."

None of Brett Hankison, Jonathan Mattingly, or Myles Cosgrove have been arrested for the March 13 killing. Only Hankison has been fired by the Louisville Police Department; the other two remain on administrative reassignment.

RELATED NEWS

Two for Altuve! His 2nd homer of the game makes it 17-1! 😮
Altuve's HR caps monster 10-run 6th as Astros go up 17-1 vs. Dodgers 😳
The @BlueJays walk it off in wild fashion for their 6th stra...
Blue Jays walk off Angels on throwing error for 6th straight win 🎉
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, COLSON MONTGOMERY!
White Sox SS Montgomery makes diving over-the-shoulder catch in debut 😱
HARRISON BADER'S 2ND HOMER OF THE DAY WINS IT FOR THE @TWINS...
Twins' Bader hits walk-off HR for his 2nd long ball of game vs. Rays 👋
CAL RALEIGH AGAIN!!! A CAREER-HIGH 35 HOMERS FOR BIG DUMPER...
Raleigh hits No. 35 to tie Griffey for most HRs in M's history before All-Star break
Ronny Mauricio gets tagged out by DJ LeMahieu after running ...
Mets' Mauricio tagged out heading to 3B after thinking ball was thrown away 💀
A THREE-HOMER DAY! A #4thofJuly Michael Busch will never fo...
Busch's 3rd HR sets Cubs' single-game record with 8 long balls vs. Cards 🤯
Use one word to describe the Leafs' Core 4 Era... 🗣️⤵️ Bre...
One Word For The Leafs' Core 4 Era? 🤔