Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has a huge legion of fans across the nation, but he also has his share of haters for various reasons.
In a recent episode of his show “The Shop,” James said (22:00 mark) that he doesn’t look forward to playing road games versus the Boston Celtics because some of their fans, in his view, are bigoted.
“They racist as f—,” said James in regards to Boston. “They will say anything. And it’s fine, I mean f— it’s my life. I been dealing with it my whole life. I don’t mind it. If I hear somebody close by, I’ll check ’em real quick, and I’ll move onto the game.”
The city of Boston has long had a reputation for racism toward Black people going back many decades, and even Celtics players themselves have had to deal with racism.
Bill Russell, perhaps the greatest Celtics player ever, once had his home in Massachusetts broken into by vandals who defecated in his bed, and he once called Boston “a racist city.”
James himself had his own house in the Los Angeles area vandalized by perpetrators who spray-painted racial epithets.
The four-time NBA champ has been active in speaking out in favor of racial equality and social justice in recent years. He has criticized police officers for shooting and killing unarmed Black individuals, to the point where it has opened him up to sharp criticism from conservatives.
James has also looked to help people of color in other ways, such as by starting the More Than a Vote initiative in order to increase voter turnout and fight against voter suppression.
Right now, his more immediate concerns have to do with the Lakers’ chances of becoming title contenders again. Some feel he is trying to pressure the team into getting a trade done for Kyrie Irving, even if it means giving up multiple future first-round draft picks.
