LeBron James won’t be wearing a social justice message on his jersey

LeBron James chooses his social justice message for his jersey in the NBA restart.

The awareness for social justice is at an all-time high following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police back in May.

With protests taking place nationwide for racial equality and police reform, NBA players were apprehensive about playing in the Walt Disney World bubble for the resumption of the season, fearing it’d take away from the important matter at hand. In response, commissioner Adam Silver allowed players to choose a social justice message that they’ll wear on the back of their jerseys.

During a Zoom call on Saturday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James announced that he’ll be wearing “James” on the back of his jersey for the NBA restart. The reasoning behind the decision is due to the options on the leagues list not resonating with his message, while citing he wished he had a say in the process.

"“I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey,” said James, via theScore. “It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal.”"

James not a fan of the options available

James is an active supporter for the Black Lives Matter movement and is fighting to end voter suppression with the presidential election taking place on Nov. 3. But, considering the NBA didn’t consult him about messages, James opted against adding one to his Lakers jersey.

LeBron isn’t the only player to decline choosing a social justice message. In total, 17 of the 350 players in the Orlando bubble have opted to wear their last names on the back of their jerseys, according to the Undefeated

In regards to the list, there were 29 options pre-approved for players to select from. Those include:

• Black Lives Matter
• Say Their Names
• Vote
• I Can’t Breathe
• Justice
• Peace
• Equality
• Freedom
• Enough
• Power to the People
• Justice Now
• Say Her Name
• Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can)
• Liberation
• See Us
• Hear Us
• Respect Us
• Love Us
• Listen
• Listen to Us
• Stand Up
• Ally
• Anti-Racist
• I Am A Man
• Speak Up
• How Many More
• Group Economics
• Education Reform
• Mentor

Lakers guard Danny Green, chose to have “How Many More?” on the back of his jersey, while center JaVale McGee selected “Respect Us.” One of the more popular messages has been “Equality,” which will be worn by the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul and the entire Dallas Mavericks team.

James respects players wearing a message on their uniform, but he wish he had more input in the process.