LeBron James on Breonna Taylor: ‘We want the cops arrested’

L.A. Lakers star LeBron James went on a post-game rant on Thursday, demanding that the police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor be arrested.

James kicked off the post-game conference saying he wanted to “shed light” on the case, the L.A. Times reported.

“I want to continue to shed light on justice for Breonna Taylor and to her family and everything that’s going on with that situation,” the player exclaimed.

When asked what he thinks the next step should be, James replied, “We want the cops arrested who committed that crime.

“It’s unfortunate that — well, it’s fortunate that we had the George Floyd video to see it. I mean, is that what we need to see a video of Breonna being killed for people to realize how bad the situation is?” James said.

Breonna Taylor lost her life in Mach when Louisville, Kentucky, police officers served a “no-knock” warrant on her home looking for drugs. But when they smashed down the door, Taylor’s boyfriend fired a shot at the officers thinking his home was being broken into. Police returned fire and struck Taylor, killing her in her bed.

James then went on an extended, 15-minute monologue on racism.

"Black Lives Matter is not a movement. When you're black it's not a movement, it's a lifestyle… When you wake up and you're black that's what it is." Watch @KingJames' full postgame remarks here: https://t.co/qZWcG7rx18 pic.twitter.com/AJG32sStMy

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) July 24, 2020

The player next struggled to express his feelings about racism in America.

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. And we understand that, and we know that for one step that someone else might have to take, or for one yard someone else may have to take, we know we got to take five more steps. We know we got to take ten more yards to get to the end zone. I mean, we understand that. We know that. But it’s also what makes us as strong, it makes us as powerful, it makes us so unique and unified is that we done had so much hardships in our life — either from personal experiences or loved ones or reading history or seeing videos, Rodney King, or just being a part of just the communities that you’re in, where you’re just racially profiled from the time you come out of the womb.

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.

James also said that he hopes his speaking out will encourage other players to become more political.

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