A reference to police brutality by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James led Fox News host Mark Levin to express outrage on his Friday podcast over James’ remarks.
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The photo on the left was taken on Monday night, when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin subdued George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes, long enough to kill Floyd.
The right photo was taken when former football player Colin Kaepernick sparked outrage a few years ago after kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Kaepernick’s silent protest led to countless sports stars to follow suit, which sparked outrage among those on the conservative side of the political spectrum.
James’ connection of the photos on Wednesday led Levin to angrily denounce him on his Friday show.
“When you have LeBron James, who knows nothing about anything related to this. … How dare he do that!” Levin said. “How dare LeBron James do such a thing! And there are others. And there are others.”
This situation is very much like a February 2018 incident involving another Fox News commentator and James, who was in his final year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fox’s Laura Ingraham took exception to James’ criticism of President Donald Trump and dismissed the remarks by saying that James should “shut up and dribble.”
James got the last laugh by using the phrase as the title for a Showtime documentary on black athletes within a variety of different environments.
In recent years, James has made a point to offer pointed opinions on controversial issues, a stance that has inevitably resulted in blowback by those who disagree with such thoughts. Much like his answer to Ingraham’s demand, it’s unlikely that he’ll stay quiet to please Levin.
