NFL
By: Zachary Draves
To the MAGA loving insurrectionist enabling crowd, the actions of a dangerous murdering vigilante are not as bad as the tweets of LeBron James, who is one of their many boogymen.
All because LeBron had the audacity to call out Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old on trial for murder after fatally shooting two people during the Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for what he is.
While on the witness stand, Rittenhouse gave what is truly an Oscar-worthy performance of supposed emotion while recounting his atrocities.
Many took notice of this act including LeBron who tweeted out:
What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. ??? https://t.co/LKwYssIUmD
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 11, 2021
Afterward, it didn’t take long for the forebears of white fragility and resentment to weigh in and chastise LeBron for “going after a child” or saying that “he should think before he acts.”
Did any of these people say that Kyle Rittenhouse should have thought before he acted?
Of course not because to them he represents everything they embrace and to them, he is worthy of the protection, validation, and support that is often not afforded to others, particularly young black and brown people.
Think about it, they criminalized Trayvon Martin for him wearing a hoodie and said that he posed enough of a threat that enabled trigger happy George Zimmerman to murder him in cold blood.
They tried to justify the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by saying that he posed a threat for playing with a TOY gun in a public park and questioned his mother for allowing her son to simply be a young black boy playing in public.
Meanwhile, they make no mention of Rittenhouse’s mother who allowed her underage son to cross state lines with an AR-15 that was illegally purchased to a community where nobody invited him and killed two people in cold blood.
The fact is, his “tears” mean nothing and that is what LeBron rightfully pointed out.
Furthermore, some in the white rage mob said that LeBron was a “terrible person”.
Let me remind people of who LeBron James really is.
In 2004, he founded the LeBron James Family Foundation which invests time and resources in educational and extracurricular programs for kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
(Courtesy: Bleacher Report)
In 2010, after The Decision, he used the money from that program to raise $2.5 million for the Boys & Girls Club of America in Cleveland.
(Courtesy: ESPN)
In 2011, LeBron announced that his foundation was partnering with the State Farm 26 Seconds campaign to create the Wheels for Education program in Akron, Ohio that is geared toward ensuring that kids graduate from high school and go to college.
In 2012, after the murder of Trayvon Martin, LeBron and his teammates on the Miami Heat posed for that now-iconic photo of them wearing hoodies in solidarity with Trayvon and his family.
(Courtesy: Business Insider)
In 2013, he donated $1 million to his high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary, for a new gymnasium as well as teaming up with Nike to give each athletic team new uniforms.
In 2014, he spoke out against the racist actions of disgraced former Los Angeles Clippers Owner Donald Sterling that led to his lifelong ban from the NBA.
That same year, he and other players wore “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts in support of Eric Garner, who gasped those words out as he was being murdered by the NYPD.
(Courtesy: Sports Illustrated)
In 2015, he called for better gun regulations after an infant was shot and killed in Cleveland.
That same year, his foundation announced a partnership with the University of Akron to provide a four-year scholarship that covers tuition and general fees for over 1,000 kids participating in his I Promise program and enrolled in Akron Public Schools.
In 2016, LeBron joined Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Paul at the ESPY Awards and ushered in a call to action for athletes to become advocates after the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the killing of 5 Dallas Police Officers.
(Courtesy: Time Magazine)
In 2018, he opened his I Promise School in Akron that provides third and fourth grades with a high-quality education and other social resources including uniforms, food for families, career placement services, bikes and helmets for each student, transportation for qualified individuals, GEDs, and job placement services for parents.
(Courtesy: NBA.com)
In 2020, he founded More Than A Vote, an organization of athletes, entertainers, and activists working to register new voters, engage in voter education, and combat unjust laws that suppress the vote in communities of color.
That initiative played a huge role in the 2020 election and is continuing its groundwork to ensure that voting rights are protected.
The list goes on and on.
All this good work has garnered LeBron various accolades including the NBA Community Assist Award, the Jackie Robinson Sports Award from the NAACP Image Awards, the Change Award from the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, and the President’s Award from the NAACP Image Awards.
(Courtesy: NBA.com)
What do these people attacking him have to show for their contributions to the betterment of society?
Absolutely nothing.
All they have is grievance and envy.
Finally, these are the same people that love and relish black athleticism, art, and aesthetics but not black people.
They believe LeBron is here to keep them entertained and not to be a participant in society.
But LeBron has proven time and time again that he is more than an athlete and has done more for the greater good than these people and certainly a scumbag like Kyle Rittenhouse could ever dream of.
And with that I say, Checkmate!
