LeBron James reveals he won’t have a social justice message on the back of his shirt as LA Lakers star trains for the first time with his team-mates ahead of NBA restart later this month
- The Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to open the season restart on July 30
- The NBA will allow players to have a message on the back of their jerseys
- But star LeBron James said none of the approved messages appealed to him
- James has entered the NBA ‘bubble’ at Disney World Florida ahead of the restart
LeBron James has revealed he will not wear a social justice message on the back of his jersey when the NBA season gets back underway.
The Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to open the season restart on July 30 against their city rivals the Clippers near Orlando, Florida.
The NBA will allow players to have a message on the back of their jerseys instead of their last name, but James has revealed none of the approved phrases appealed to him.
LeBron James has revealed he will not wear a social justice message on the back of his jersey
The Los Angeles Lakers star returned to training ahead of the NBA restart later this month
‘I don’t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I’m about and what I’m here to do,’ James said.
‘It was 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 really 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, which is OK. I’m absolutely OK with that.’
The NBA will allow messages on the back but James said none of them appealed to him
James was joined in training for the first time by fellow Lakers stars such as Anthony Davis
Among the phrases reportedly agreed upon by the NBA and the NBA Players Association include: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, I Can’t Breathe and Respect Us.
The comments from the Lakers star came as he took part in training for the first time with his team-mates including Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma in the NBA ‘bubble’ at Disney World.
James will therefore continue his quest for a fourth NBA title, with the Lakers flying before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to proceedings.
They were on course to secure the top seed in the Western Conference and had the second best record in the league (49-14) – with only the Milwaukee Bucks faring better (they have a 53-12 record in the Eastern Conference).
Kyle Kuzma was also participating in the NBA ‘bubble’ at Disney World ahead of the restart
The Lakers were on course to secure the top seed in the Western Conference before the break