LeBron James is no Michael Jordan. Given an opportunity to weigh in on extensive frustrations through the present decisions of the grand jury including those white policemen who shoot black men with no weapons, James firmly supported the protesters.
And he chose to do that in a highly visible way: "I can't breathe", the final words of Eric Garner's turned to be a rallying cry for the protesters that stage sit-ins and on the social media. Garner died at the age of 43 in July when there was a disagreement involving a police officer that happened in the Staten Island. In the previous week, a grand jury refused to charge the policeman who made use of a chokehold on Garner whilst trying to get him caught.
James was joined in the on protest during the warm-up sessions by a teammate of him, Kyrie Irving. Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls with the players from Seattle Seahawks created the same gestures. The commissioner of NBA, Adam Silver, said on Yahoo News: "I do respect Derrick Rose and those players for expressing their own views on crucial issues yet my preference for them is to abide by the set attire rules."
Yet the activism of LeBron is still a huge deal. It is King James we are discussing about. He is among the most popular athletes in the world. Prince William with his wife, were watching the game as the Cavaliers took a game with the Brooklyn Nets.
Taken as a complete one, these protests embody an obvious departure from what is usually seen from the athletes. Jordan kept himself within the sidelines on the matters of politics and race. He said "Republicans purchase sneakers too," when he was asked by Harvey Gantt campaign to support his candidature for senator of the North Carolina. Jordan attempted to break up the union of NBA players previously.
