Ahead of their opening playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night, NBA superstar LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates wore hats calling for justice for Breonna Taylor.
The Lakers showed up to game one of the Western Conference Playoffs sporting hats that mocked the Make America Great Again hats worn by President Donald Trump's supporters. The players' hats were branded with a message of solidarity for Taylor: "Make America Great Again Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor," ESPN reports.
The team's social media account shared photos of players wearing the caps while going from their hotel to the game. Following the team's loss to the Blazers, James told reporters that he’s going to be persistent in bringing attention to Taylor’s case.
"You know, this is something that we continue to put our foot on the gas, continue to pressure," he said. "You know, the situation that's going on in Louisville, Kentucky. An innocent woman being killed in Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future and her future was taken away from her. And there's been no arrests. There's been no justice. Not only for her but for her family. And we want to continue to shed light on that situation because it's just unjust, and that's what it's about."
The 26-year-old emergency medical technician was in her bed on the morning of March 13 when police shot and killed her while executing a no-knock warrant in search of a man who had been arrested at a different location, as Blavity previously reported.
Following the deaths of Taylor and George Floyd, James and other NBA stars have been fervent in seeking justice for Black people who have been killed due to police brutality.
“We want the cops arrested who committed that crime,” James said about the case after the Lakers played a scrimmage game against the Dallas Mavericks, according to NBC News.
“As one of the leaders of this league, I want her family to know, and I want the state of Kentucky to know, that we feel for her, and we want justice. And that’s what it’s all about. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. This is a wrong situation that’s going on in my eyes and a lot of other eyes not only here in America, but I bet in the world as well,” he said.
LA Clippers star Paul George also lent his support to Taylor's and Floyd's families in a video shared on the team’s Twitter of one of his post-game interviews.
Even though reporters asked about a shoulder injury he sustained, George focused his answer on the families affected by police brutality.
"Felt great, but I think most importantly, I take this time to give my condolences to the family of the Taylors. Breonna Taylor, rest in peace. George Floyd, rest in peace," he said.
"Breonna Taylor, rest in peace. George Floyd, rest in peace."@Yg_Trece's Message: pic.twitter.com/8XbmafBljj
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 22, 2020
Along with his social justice activism, James has proclaimed his support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and said he’ll actively campaign to help him unseat Trump in November, per TMZ.
In June, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced that the Louisville Metro Police Department was firing Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in Taylor's killing, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. The other two officers, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, were placed on administrative leave, BBC News reports.
The FBI Louisville Field Office has since said it will share its findings on ballistics evidence and a shooting reconstruction of the scene with the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, which is conducting its own investigation into the case, according to the Courier-Journal.
