LeBron James was ready to unwind and unburden himself. He had just gone through a mental and emotional grind that had him questioning whether any more NBA basketball should be played this season.
He spoke with reporters Saturday night in the Orlando bubble after his Lakers had eliminated the Trail Blazers from the playoffs, and he walked them through what he had experienced from Wednesday afternoon up to that point. James gave expansive, thoughtful answers to the questions, with one notable exception.
He even found a way to laugh through the grim march through four days in August that could have fractured the NBA.
Wednesday: The boycotts and the breaking point
James and the Lakers were preparing to play the Blazers in Game 5 of their series. Then the Bucks walked out of their game with the Magic to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wis. The other five teams scheduled that day, including LA, followed their lead. One day of no games turned into three.
"I'm not here to judge or categorize what Milwaukee did, but we all stood with them, from OKC to Houston to our game, obviously, that didn't play, and then from that point on, my mind began to figure out what is the plan going forward. And if we don't have a plan, then what are we talking about? Why are we still here? That's where my mind went to.
"At one point there was no plan going forward. There was no plan of action. Me, personally, I'm not that type of guy. I'm not a guy who, one, doesn't have a plan and then is not ready to act on it as far as action. We had a couple days to kind of figure it out."
The Lakers and Clippers reportedly told the other players in an emotional meeting that they were prepared to leave the bubble permanently over what happened. It was reported that the season was in jeopardy.
James brought levity when asked about possibly leaving.
"I think I've had numerous nights and days of thinking about leaving the bubble. I think everyone has, including you guys. (Laughter.) I'm just saying . . . There's not one person that has not had a (thought) that says, 'Oh, I've got to get the hell out of here.' But it's not because of what transpired. Yeah, it probably crosses my mind probably once a day, for sure. (Smiling.)"
Wednesday: The call to Obama
James decided less was more with this answer. He wouldn't confirm that he and other players, including Chris Paul, spoke by phone with the former president after the meeting that threatened to divide players, or whether Obama advised the players to go back to work and use basketball as leverage for gaining concessions from team owners on social issues.
"President Obama is a great man. He's a great man and . . . I wish he was still the president of the United States," James said.
Thursday: The meetings
Players met with each other, and then they met with owners, which led to an agreement: They would return to the court and owners would work to expand voting awareness and opportunities in NBA markets for the November general election. One of the main action items: Turn all team-owned arenas into polling places.
"To be able to sit with the call with our owners and for them to hear how important some of these initiatives are, they took it very seriously. They were very candid. We were very candid on what we believe continues to move the needle in our respective cities, in our communities and how important this moment is," he said.
Friday: The Kaepernick shoutout
James posted a note from Colin Kaepernick, who thanked James for "staying true" to what Kaepernick started with his protests in 2016. James' response on Instagram: "Standing/kneeling right next to you, brother! Appreciate you." NBA players and coaches have taken a knee before the national anthem during their time in the bubble.
Said James: "Obviously we know what Kap stands for — or kneeled for — during this time and a lot of people turned their cheek, turned their face and turned a lot of stuff against him because of what actually is the same as what is going on now. I just thank him for him falling on the sword for the better of all of us as athletes at that point in time."
Saturday: The farewell to Black Panther
The news left a lot of the Black community shattered: Actor Chadwick Boseman, who brought the comic book superhero Black Panther to life on the big screen, died at 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer that was never made public. James paid tribute to Boseman prior to Game 5 with the "Wakanda forever" gesture.
James spoke of meeting Boseman on several occasions and noticing that "he was something that was just more than what we saw on the screen."
"But then you add on the fact that growing up as a Black kid, you had superheroes that you looked up to, but they weren't Black. You had Batman, you had Superman, you had Spider-Man and so on and so on, and for (director) Ryan Coogler and for that cast and for (Boseman) himself to be able to make 'Black Panther,' even though we knew it was, like, a fictional story, it actually felt real and actually felt like we finally had our Black superhero, and nobody could touch us. And to lose that is sad in our community. It's sad in our community.
"To lose the Black Panther and the Black Mamba (Kobe Bryant) in the same year, we can all agree that 2020 is the s---tiest year, in my 35 years. It's not even a question at all."
James said he will take Sunday to decompress and then begin to lock back in on Monday when the Rockets and Thunder play their Game 6. He'll be on the verge of spending September days in the bubble. The new month won't be tranquil, but it will be tough to rival the tenseness of those August days James just completed.
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LeBron James' four days in August: Boycotts, bubble, Obama, Black Panther - Sporting News
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