NBA star LeBron James says he “fueled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant” after he stoked controversy with a threatening tweet about the officer who fatally killed her.
The Los Angeles Lakers player said his quickly deleted tweet, which said, “YOU’RE NEXT” along with an hourglass emoji, “#ACCOUNTABILITY,” and what appeared to be a photo of the officer, made the conversation about himself rather than the teenager.
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“I fueled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant and I owe it to her and this movement to change it,” he said, linking to a Vox article titled “Why they’re not saying Ma’Khia Bryant’s name.” “Thank you @fabiolacineas for educating us about Ma’Khia and her story and why this needs to be about her. #sayhername #Blacklivesmatter.”
I fueled the wrong conversation about Ma’Khia Bryant and I owe it to her and this movement to change it. Thank you @fabiolacineas for educating us about Ma’Khia and her story and why this needs to be about her. https://t.co/Owh1vDJWXi #sayhername #Blacklivesmatter
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 3, 2021
James’s tweet, which seemingly threatened the officer for shooting Bryant, who was seen carrying a knife on police body camera footage, was widely criticized.
Former President Donald Trump called the tweet “divisive,” and the Los Angeles Police Department union sent a letter urging the NBA to investigate the tweet for threatening an officer. Other officers have mocked James or invited him to meet them to sit down for a discussion about police.
James deleted the tweet shortly after he posted it “because its being used to create more hate.”
“This isn’t about one officer,” James explained in a follow-up tweet. “It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
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Bryant, a black 16-year-old, was shot by an officer identified as Nicholas Reardon on a residential driveway in Columbus, Ohio, last month.
The Columbus Division of Police released the body camera video, which showed her wielding a knife, and police said she was “attempting to stab” another girl when Reardon shot her several times. This was after Reardon repeatedly shouted, “Get down.”
Bryant was later declared dead at the hospital. The incident is being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Bryant’s death occurred less than half an hour before a Minneapolis jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, and one count of second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin, a white man was seen on tape last May placing his knee on Floyd’s neck after Floyd, a black man, was arrested for allegedly using a $20 counterfeit bill. Floyd, who repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe, died following the incident, sparking several nationwide demonstrations throughout the summer of 2020.
