Following the Hamas attacks on Israel, NBA icon and all-time leading scorer LeBron James stood with Israel in a statement released Wednesday and calling for people of all races and religions to “stop the hate, racism, and antisemitism.”
Lebron James during a post-game press conference | SCREENSHOT: House of Highlights/YouTube
As the face of The Association, LeBron James took it upon himself to post a heartfelt statement for the victims of Hamas’ war crimes against Israel. In it, he laid out his belief that the strikes by Hamas were an act of terror and should not be tolerated. Then he extended a prayer for America’s Israeli allies that any sports fan – or US citizen, for that matter – could appreciate. It was thoughtful and to the point. Although he is often criticized by detractors for some of his previous takes, this time was different. James stepped up as an ambassador of the American sporting world with just a simple and
“The devastation in Israel is tragic and unacceptable,” James wrote.
“The murder and violence against innocent people by Hamas is terrorism,” he continued. “The SpringHill Company family sends our deepest condolences to Israel and the Jewish community. We pray for peace in the region and reiterate our continued commitment to fight hate in all its forms. We all must work to ensure this tragedy does not spread even more hate, racism, and antisemitism.”
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In a rare instance, James left the comments section open – knowing full well that he might take some heat for his thoughts. And that he did. Except in this case? The shots were being fired from another direction.
“King” James has often been criticized by the political right for some of his stances. But in this case, it was left-wingers who were ready to fire some shots at his take on the devastating situation in Israel. Many comments from detractors went from dissident to just plain slanderous, all because LeBron spoke up against the murder and kidnapping of innocent people.
For his part? The LA Lakers superstar hasn’t issued a retraction, and it appears he is standing by his statements. And based on the strong wording in his original statement, his haters probably shouldn’t expect one any time soon.
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