By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
On the eve of the NBA Finals the discovery of racist graffiti spray-painted outside his home changed the agenda and LeBron was ready to address the matterm, wearing a t-shirt with the photo of Muhammad Ali.
“No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough”, he said, “We’ve got a long way to go, for us as a society and for us as African Americans, until we feel equal in America.”
“As I sit here on the eve of one of the greatest sporting events that we have in sports, race and what’s going on comes again, and on my behalf and on my family’s behalf,” James said. “But I look at it as, if this can shed light and continue to keep the conversation going on my behalf, then I’m okay with it. … It just goes to show that racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America. Hate in America, especially for African Americans, is with them every day. Even though it’s concealed most of the time, people hide their faces, say things about you. When they see you, they smile in your face. It’s alive every single day.”
The primary source of his consternation, he said, was being away from his three children, a daughter and two sons.
“The most unfortunate part is that I can’t be home right now,” James said. “I can’t be home to see my kids. My little girl is actually too young to understand it right now. I can’t sit in front of my boys right now, and I won’t be home until next week. It’s kind of killing me inside right now. My wife is unbelievable, my mother, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, they’re going to do a great job when they get home from school today. At the end of the day, I’ll be focused on, on our game plan, and focused on these games. I’m at a point in my life where my priorities are in place, and basketball comes second to my family. I will be as focused as I can be on the job at hand. This is a situation where, it puts me back in place as far as what’s actually more important. Basketball is not the most important thing in my life.”