He’s Heard Great Things: On LeBron, Kyrie, and the Danger of Playing It Safe

LeBron.I need you to sit with something for a second.Imagine if somebody asked you about visiting Adolf’s Germany during World War II. And instead of condemning the ovens, the death camps, the industrial-scale slaughter of millions, you said: “I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard great things about it.”Think about how preposterous that would sound. The rest of the entire world is watching the newsreels, seeing the smoke stacks, knowing the bodies are piling up. And you’re out here talking about the great things you heard.That is exactly where we are right now. And this is why it’s not adding up. Respectfully, OG.You, me, Spike Lee—we all be on the same internet. We see the same things.(The Stakes - grounding it in reality)Entire families. Wiped off the registry.For those who don’t know, that means there is no living member left of that family. There will be nothing left of their DNA in this world. 902 families. Gone. Not from a virus. Not from a weather event. From bombs and bullets and a military machine doing exactly what it was designed to do.That’s what this country—the one you heard great things about—is doing right now.(The Visuals - showing, not telling)Before I even get into Kyrie’s comments, or the symbolism of what he wore to NBA All-Star Weekend, let’s talk about what Spike Lee showed up in. For you. For everybody else that don’t know.Respectfully, what Spike is wearing is called the Kufiya. It is a resistance symbol for Palestinians. Because of what the place he’s heard so much great about is doing to them. He got it on his bag. He got it on his sweater. And then he got the Palestinian flag on the strap of his bag. It’s not mutually exclusive.This is what he did for Black History Month.That’s what I call solidarity. That’s coalition building. Spike walked in with Marcus Garvey, MLK, and a side of Shakur on his fit—and the flag on his bag.Then you look at Kyrie. Kyrie Irving with the same Kufi on his head that Spike had on his bag. Crimes are being committed against humanity. And most of us? Silent.Cat got your tongue? Or are you just afraid to actually stand for something real?(The Contradiction - holding the mirror up)That’s what Kyrie was speaking on. That’s the energy behind what he’s wearing. In the same weekend, Kyrie wore a shirt with “PRESS” on it, symbolizing all the journalists—the ones trying to show us the truth—who have been taken out by the country you’ve heard so much great about.It’s baffling. The juxtaposition is right there. Kyrie wearing that. You making those statements.LeBron, you live on the internet. You’ve shown us that time and time again. You scroll. You post. You react. You see what we see.There is no way—from October 2023 to now—that you did not look at a TV screen or your phone and watch how we were being live-streamed a genocide.I can’t even say the word too loud anymore. We said it so much on these platforms that they’ve already started doing things to us. Shadowbanning. Demonetizing. Silencing.(The Hard Truth - the closing argument)Playing it safe. I get it, LeBron.You got an empire to protect. You got brands. You got contracts. You got a legacy that extends far beyond the hardwood. I understand how the machine works. I understand that standing up means you might lose something, but at what cost?Entire families. Wiped out. And we’re out here saying we’ve “heard great things.”You said, “Hopefully someday I can make it over there.” You said, “I’ve never been there before, but I heard great things.”We’ve all heard the propaganda. We’ve all heard the talking points. But we’ve also seen the kids. The tents. The churches, mosques, hospitals—all of it, obliterated.This isn’t about choosing sides in a geopolitical conflict. This is about choosing humanity when humanity is being wiped off the registry in front of our eyes.Education is elevation, but you can’t be elevated if you’re refusing to look down at the ground you’re standing on.Research Over Mesearch is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theconsciouslee.substack.com/subscribe