LeBron James is calling out Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham for what some see as a double standard when it comes to her response to athletes sharing political opinions. James took to Twitter on Sunday to bring attention to Ingraham's support of recent political remarks by Drew Brees just a few years after she famously told James to "shut up and dribble" when he criticized Donald Trump.
James responded to a Twitter user who shared a video comparing her critique of his remarks in 2018, juxtaposed with Ingraham's reaction to protests against Brees' remarks this week, in which she said the NFL star is "allowed to have his voice about what kneeling and the flag means."
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"If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here!" James wrote. "Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here????"
"And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see ... CHANGE!!!" he continued.
CHANGE!!! #ShutUpAndDribbleThisPowerfulBlackManComingFullSteam💨💨💨💨💨
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 4, 2020
Later, James shared a video to Instagram featuring words on a white background and the sound of a basketball being dribbled. The first comments were seemingly directed at athletes and included "Shut up and dibble," "Shut up and tackle," "Shut up and stand," and "Shut up and get paid." Then the words transitioned into sentiments relatable to nonathletes, including "Shut up and take off that hoodie," "Shut up and stop running," and "Shut up and put up your hands."
"This is why we can't just stick to sports. Do you understand now?" concludes the video, which James captioned, "You thought I would 🤐?? Yeah oook. I’m louder than EVER."
The response comes after James previously slammed Brees for his controversial remarks, which the NFL star made during an interview with Yahoo Finance when asked how the NFL should respond to players kneeling during the national anthem.
"I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country," Brees responded, noting that his two grandfathers fought for the country during World War II. "That brings me to tears, thinking about all that has been sacrificed."
James responded, "WOW MAN!! 🤦🏾♂️. Is it still surprising at this point. Sure isn’t! You literally still don't understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee?? Has absolute nothing to do with the disrespect of [the American flag] and our soldiers (men and women) who keep our land free."
"My father-in-law was one of those men who fought as well for this country," James continued. "I asked him question about it and thank him all the time for his commitment. He never found Kap peaceful protest offensive because he and I both know what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong!"
Brees subsequently apologized for his remarks in a lengthy Instagram message Thursday.
"I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused," he wrote. "In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country."
Brees added that his comments "lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy."
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