Speaking out … about speaking out. LeBron James called out Laura Ingraham for defending Drew Brees after telling the Los Angeles Lakers star to “shut up and dribble” in the past.
“If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on,” the 35-year-old basketball player tweeted on Thursday, June 4, alongside clips of the Fox News host. “Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here???? And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see CHANGE!!!”
James added the hashtag, “#ShutUpAndDribbleThisPowerfulBlackManComingFullSteam.”
Ingraham recently covered Brees’ controversial comments about NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem as a form of protest in the past.
“He’s allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. I mean he’s a person,” she said on The Ingraham Angle. “This is beyond football.”
If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here???? 🤦🏾♂️. And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see https://t.co/e4pJ0PvwJj
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 4, 2020
Back in 2018, however, Ingraham suggested that James needed to “keep the political commentary to yourself” after the athlete spoke out against President Donald Trump.
“You’re great players, but no one voted for you,” the journalist said in February 2018. “Millions elected Trump to be their coach. … As someone once said, ‘Shut up and dribble.’”
Ingraham addressed James’ criticism on her show on Thursday, telling her audience that she believes ”we are all children of God, regardless of our racial or political differences and therefore must be treated equally.”
“Every American, every American has the God-given right to speak his mind on any issue,” Graham continued. “I think in order to heal and shed light on gross injustices, our country needs more dialogue, not less. And we need more respect, less retribution.”
Brees, for his part, has since apologized for his statements about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country,” the football star wrote on Thursday. “I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening … and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.”
