LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers arrived in Orlando for the NBA restart on Thursday, 9 July. Earlier today, Lakers players and head coach Frank Vogel were available to speak to the media via a Zoom call.
LeBron James elucidated on a multitude of topics during the interaction. But nothing was more important than this two cents on the slogans for social justice that NBA players will be wearing on the back of their jerseys.
LeBron James to wear his name on the back of his jersey
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The NBA had handed out a list of approved slogans that players were allowed to put on their jerseys. Some of these include Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Speak Up, I Can't Breathe, Justice Now among others.
Also read: LeBron James turns emotional heading into the NBA bubble
LeBron James has put in a lot of effort to serve his community and bring social change. So his decision to wear his name and not a message on the back oh his shirt initially comes as a surprise. However, King James did have a reason for the same.
"I actually didn’t go with a name on the back of my jersey," James said as per Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. "It’s no disrespect to the list that was handed out to all the players. I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal. I would have loved to have a say so on what would have went on the back of my jersey. I had a couple things in mind but I wasn’t part of that process and that’s OK."
LeBron James also spoke about his faith in Adam Silver and the efforts taken by the NBA to complete the season while maintaining safety protocols.
"I believe the NBA and Adam Silver took all precautionary measures to make sure that we as a league are as safe as we can be. Obviously there can be things that can happen, but we’ll cross that line if it happens."
LeBron James finally concluded by addressing his fitness heading into the NBA restart.
LeBron James prepares for practice session
We can be sure that LeBron James will continue his fight against social injustice but in his own way. At the same time, we can also expect him to put his best foot forward in the Lakers' quest for championship glory.
As can be seen above, LeBron James shot some hoops before his first practice with the Los Angeles Lakers inside the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Also read: LeBron James issues warning to the league to hype up NBA restart
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