LeBron James, #23, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LeBron James took to Twitter to salute rapper Killer Mike for his speech about the Atlanta anti-racism protests on Friday night.
Anti-racism protests are sweeping the nation following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer earlier this week in Minneapolis. On Friday night, Killer Mike joined the massive protests in Atlanta and gave a speech that’s earned praise from many, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
In his speech, Killer Mike called for protestors to focus on organizing for a better future rather than filling the streets. He talked about the pain of watching George Floyd’s life come to an end at the hands of a police officer and he sympathized with those who felt nothing but anger.
“I’m mad as hell,” Killer Mike said. “I woke up wanting to see the world burn down yesterday because I’m tired of seeing black men die …. That’s why children are burning things to the ground. They don’t know what else to do.”
But ultimately, he called on protestors to turn their anger and pain into mobilization. He spoke about filling out the census, the power of voting, and a police review board as possible ways to improve the situation.
“We have to be better than this moment,” Killer Mike said. “We have to be better than burning down our own homes. Because if we lose Atlanta, what else we got? We lose an ability to plot, to plan, to strategize, to organize and to properly mobilize.”
James praised Killer Mike’s speech, calling him passionate and smart. James also shared tweets from Ava DuVernay, the director of When They See Us and Selma, and Jimmy Kimmel.
James isn’t the only NBA player speaking out. Retired player Stephen Jackson was friends with George Floyd and called on all four officers involved in the killing to be arrested. Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, has also been vocal on Twitter.