LeBron James slammed by former NYPD Commissioner over comments on Jacob Blake shooting

Former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik slammed Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James, for his angry rant against police officers following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. LeBron claimed black people in America are living in terror amid the fear of a racist attack from any officer of the law. 

After expressing his outrage over Blake's shooting on social media, LeBron James addressed the situation after Monday's 135-115 win over Portland Trail Blazers. The 35-year-old told NBA media, "If you’re sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman or detain him before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here and you’re lying to not only me, but you’re lying to every African American, every black person in the community because we see it over and over and over. If you watch the video, there were multiple moments where if they wanted to they could’ve tackled him. They could’ve grabbed him. They could’ve done that."

He further went onto claim that most black people usually "live in fear," where the first thing an African-American needs to worry about is being confronted by a police officer, who might just be in a bad mood.

“People get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. “Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified. Because you don’t know. You have no idea."

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Bernard Kerik, who served as the commissioner of the NYPD between August 2000 and December 2001, blasted LeBron James for his comments. The 64-year-old wrote that the three-time NBA champ should not speak about or criticise something when he has "no idea what the job is". Kerik challenged LeBron to try to handcuff somebody "who refuses to comply" before making a judgement.

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LeBron James in favour of NBA boycott

Meanwhile, LeBron James has reportedly voted to end the season in light of the NBA's protest against the Wisconsin shooting. Wednesday's three playoffs game were postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for their game against Orlando Magic. Subsequently, the other NBA sides supported the Bucks' stance and opted to do the same. 

"The NBA and the NBPA today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games - MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled," the NBA tweeted. 

The remaining teams in the Disney World bubble held a meeting to decide the future of the ongoing season. According to The Athletic, the Lakers and Clippers have voted to end the season, while most other teams are still in favour of continuing. The report further states that LeBron James was not happy with the meeting and exited before the others in frustration. 

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(Image Credits: NBA Website)