Time and time again, LeBron James has stepped up to address issues well beyond what happens on the basketball court. It’s one of the things that makes him the biggest — and most important — athlete in the world. Reporters know that he’ll speak honestly about an issue, from the importance of Black Panther to the latest comment Donald Trump has against athletes of color.
The Thousand Oaks shooting in Southern California would be no exception to that rule. James now plays for the Lakes and has had a home in Southern California for a few years now. And while he hasn’t outright advocated for gun control, politically he’s much closer to Steve Kerr on the issue than, say, the president.
James was asked about the Thousand Oaks shooting on Sunday after the Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks. The team wore shirts with the word “enough” on them, much like the Los Angeles Clippers did on Saturday. And James took the opportunity to speak of the “troubling times” we live in and what must be done to change them.
Lebron James talks about what he thought when he first heard about the Thousand Oaks shooting and reflects on how formerly safe spaces no longer feel safe. pic.twitter.com/GhGO4hKVMU
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 12, 2018
James said his initial reaction was much like that of many: not again. But as a parent, James said today’s violent society, and a willingness to use guns to kill for seemingly no reason at all, makes things much scarier when it comes to his children.
“It’s just very troubling times for everyone and for parents,” James said. “How can you be comfortable with sending your kids to school or sending them to church or sending to the movies or sending them to the mall? Those are kind of like the great havens when I was growing up: school, church, go to the mall, go to a sporting event. That was like heaven, you know? And it’s kind of scary at this point and time.”
What’s sad, and a bit scary, is that every place James mentioned has had a significant mass shooting in this year alone. And it feels like that quote will always be relevant until something is done to change our relationship with guns and gun violence. James wasn’t asked what can be done to change it, and he didn’t offer any solutions either. But right now, with 12 more dead in Southern California and the dread that it can happen again at any time, just expressing his fear as a parent seems relevant and powerful enough.
