The Black political class is not made up solely of politicians. Celebrities and athletes like LeBron James are given access to corporate dollars and their politics reflect their class interests.
In the wake of the Hamas led resistance to the Israeli occupation, National Basketball Association superstar LeBron James chimed in with the following statement:
“The devastation in Israel is tragic and unacceptable. The murder and violence against innocent people by Hamas are terrorism. The SpringHill Company family sends our deepest condolences to Israel and the Jewish community. We pray for peace in the region and reiterate our commitment to fight hate in all its forms. We all must work to ensure even more hate, racism and anti-semitism.”
I have been a fan of LeBron James for his entire career, and of his team, the Los Angeles Lakers. I have been on his side when he pushed back on conservative commentators telling him to “shut up and dribble.” I wish that he would have been as bold in speaking out against the police killing of 12-year old Tamir Rice which occurred when he was playing in Cleveland, as he is about “standing with Israel” today. But he declined to comment on Rice’s behalf. His explanation was hard to believe claiming that he was not aware of the details. He went on to say “what we want more than anything is prayer and the best for the family or anyone.” His refusal is also at odds with his speaking out on the police killing of Tyree Nichols in Memphis by Black police when he said, “we are our own worst enemies.” His SpringHill media company develops and produces entertainment in partnership with the biggest brands and platforms in the world. Their products can be seen on Netflix, Disney, ESPN, HBO, CBS, NBC and ABC among others. Suffice it to say that none of these media outlets focus any attention on the plight of the Palestinians. It would be antithetical for a corporate media mogul to make a comment other than one which repeats the established U.S. talking points in support of Israel.
James’s statement about Israel is deeply problematic. First and foremost, it is a tired parroting of the same narrative spewed by corporate media and the U.S. state which vilifies Palestinian resistance while ignoring the fact that the settler colonial Israeli state is the cause of displacement and slaughter of Palestinians over the past 75 years.
Just since 2008, up until the Hamas resistance which began on October 7, all during James’ lifetime, over 6,000 Palestinians have been killed compared to barely 300 Israelis. Israel even has a sick name for their planned slaughter of Palestinians. They call it “mowing the lawn.” I have not seen or heard of any statements from James calling the Israeli forces any names to describe their actions. Nor has he commented on what Gaza has become by all non-Zionist accounts, which is the world’s largest open-air prison due to the Israeli blockade.
The fact is the only thing surprising about what has come about is that it took this long for it to happen. You cannot engage in the violent occupation and maintenance of an apartheid settler colonial project that is Israel and expect the oppressed to limit their response to non-violent means. It is delusional to think so. This delusion is founded on a deadly myth which assumes that colonial settlers can expect security in the land and among those whom they have colonized.
Corporate and western media in general has long been actively complicit in giving Israel and Zionism cover usually by weaponizing the very real genocide committed by Nazi Germany to dismiss anyone speaking up on behalf of the Palestinian people as “anti-Semitic.” It has been the most effective example of so-called “cancel culture” in the world for the past 70 plus years. The primary outcome has been that Palestinian lives have simply not mattered in the U.S. psyche. We are already seeing the results of open-ended unconditional support for Israel which often translates to anti-Arab bigotry and even murder. The pro-Israel anti-Palestine rhetoric may be responsible for the stabbing death of a Palestinian-American child in Illinois..
Some have referred to the Hamas action as Israel’s 9/11. I think of it as their Little Big Horn at which General Custer and his army were slaughtered by the colonized Native people. In both cases, you have inevitable resistance by those who are victims of settler colonial projects. For those who say Custer and his army were combatants and not civilians, I would respond by saying most of the Palestinian casualties over the years have been civilians.
Maybe James’ position was foreseeable. In 2020, when NBA players were on the verge of striking in response to police killings of Black people, it was James who asked Barack Obama for advice on the matter. Predictably, Obama diffused the potentially revolutionary moment and it was back to business as usual. James’ decision to reach out to Obama at all speaks volumes about his politics.
In the end, it seems Jame’s decision on what issue to speak out about and what issues to be silent about are business and political decisions. Apparently, that means ignoring the death of Rice and many more like him in Palestine and co-signing on the sacred cow status of the state of Israel as well as the police state in the United States. This acquiescence encourages both nations to continue their genocidal rampage at the expense of Black people in the United States and the Palestinian people in their homeland. The miseducation of LeBron James is a very serious matter. Defending the state of Israel is to defend criminality. If James does so he must be called to account.
Gus Griffin is a Washington DC area based independent sportswriter, a member of the Black Alliance for Peace Africa Team and the Ujima People’s Progress Party.
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Black people who are among the rich and famous garner praise and love, and so do those who are in distress. But concerns for the masses of people and their struggles are often missing.
