LeBron James’ Los Angeles home was reportedly vandalized on the eve of the NBA Finals, and he sat down to address the situation. 

TMZ broke the story of James’ $20 million mansion in Brentwood having the n-word spray painted across the front gate. During media availability, James got asked about the incident and the response, which is about two minutes long, was brutally honest.

Nobody was physically hurt by the incident, and the police are looking for the suspect and are treating it as a hate crime. LeBron is thankful that his family was unharmed, but reiterated that racism in the United States is real. And it’s not going away anytime soon.

“Racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America. Hate in America, especially for African-Americans, is living every day.”

The three-time champion proceeded to bring up Emmitt Till and his mother. Till was a 14-year-old black teen who got lynched in 1955 while living in Mississippi. Such a heinous act was only made worse when his killers were acquitted of the crime, and his mother elected to have an open casket to help drive home a point.

Also Read: Ranking LeBron James’ 7 NBA Finals

“The reason [Till’s mother] had an open casket was to show the world what her son went through as far as a hate crime and being black in America.”

In closing, James elaborated on how fame doesn’t hide you from racism, “no matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough.”

Whether or not you like James as a basketball player, he’s a human. Additionally, he’s one of the most socially-conscious athletes that the world has ever seen. It’s a [redacted] situation and is something that no one should ever have to go through.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday, June 1 at 9:00 PM, and I believe James is looking to the series taking centerstage

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