A Los Angeles Police Department union has sent a letter to the NBA urging it to investigate LeBron James over his tweet threatening a police officer involved in the Ma’Khia Bryant shooting.
The letter, sent by Detective Jamie McBride on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Protective League Board, asks NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to determine if the Los Angeles Lakers star violated any league policies by posting the now-deleted threat on Twitter, according to Fox News.
Earlier this month, following the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, James posted a photo of a Columbus, Ohio, police officer involved in a controversial shooting with the caption “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Explanation by @KingJames:https://t.co/hWsrmE9bT9
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) April 22, 2021
The officer shot and killed 16-year-old Bryant while she was in the process of trying to stab another person. Columbus police have backed the officer, saying he acted appropriately.
James later deleted the tweet and explained that he was “damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police” and blamed others for creating hate over his tweet.
“LeBron James sent that tweet out to over 50 million followers, to incite violence is basically what that tweet did,” McBride told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Thursday, calling the basketball player “one of the biggest hypocrites out there.”
“No officer wants to take a life, but I’ll tell you one thing: That officer saved a life, and he’s a hero,” he added.
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McBride also referenced reports that LeBron James has paid for private security from police in the past.
“LeBron James has talked time and time again about police officers and how bad — they’re all killers,” McBride said. “However, they’re also doing protection at his house. Off-duty officers provide security for him and his family. So, you have killers at his house providing security for him.”
James has received significant backlash over his tweet, including from a bar owner in Ohio who went viral after promising not to show an NBA game in his establishment until the Lakers star is expelled from the league.
