LeBron James found himself amidst another controversy today when he posted anti-semitic lyrics on his Instagram story, quoting ‘ASMR’ by hip-hop artist 21 Savage.
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The post immediately went viral as, LeBron had posted, ‘We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher,’, triggering an outrage on social media, as LeBron kind of stirred the age old Jewish stereotype.
According to the stereotype, Jewish people prioritise money and material over everything else, something that was being referred to in the lyrics posted by LeBron James.
Every time LeBron James opens his mouth on things not related to basketball, something STUPID comes out. I read the Narrative of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave and don’t remember his “SLAVE MASTER” paying slaves millions to work in the cotton fields. https://t.co/tTIyQqIek7
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) December 23, 2018
Lebron James captioned a selfie with 21 Savage lyrics about “Jewish money,” angering conservative critics https://t.co/kpRBxIrK4g pic.twitter.com/Zj2REqp9Os
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 23, 2018
Now, LeBron received a lot of hatred on social media for coming up with such a post, especially when he is so vocal about curbing racism in sport and elsewhere.
James thus had to offer an apology for his post, but the apology did not quite seem like a very real one, as James said that it was meant to be a ‘compliment’ for the Jewish people.
He also said that he listens to great music and the post was a byproduct of that. The choice of words did not quite seem right there.
NBA star @KingJames was criticized for his "Jewish money" Instagram post. In his apology, James said, "I actually thought it was a compliment." But when James trivialized slavery by calling NFL owners "a bunch of old white men" with a "slave mentality"…CRICKETS.
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) December 24, 2018
LeBron James follows dissing 'old white men' with 'Jewish money' post that caused meltdown, and an apology https://t.co/aDmJXz38It Someone needs to remind them they’re entertainers, all they do is move money from one pocket to another, #timewasters
— richard Morris (@imgolfing4) December 24, 2018
“Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone,” James said as quoted by ESPN.
“That’s not why I chose to share that lyric. I always [post lyrics]. That’s what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music, and that was the byproduct of it.
“So I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn’t through the lens of a lot of people. My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody.” he added.
The apology hasn’t really gone down well with the NBA fraternity, as they are now questioning LeBron’s loose statements following his serious ‘slave mentality and racism’ allegations.
LeBron James apologizes for posting 'getting that Jewish money' on social media https://t.co/8TD81XvlEX For someone that gives much thought to what he says b4 saying it- i don't believe his apology.
— sam lefkowitz (@sambolef) December 24, 2018
LeBron’s apology seemed like a weak one to many, especially when he has been so precise and strong headed about his views on loose racism.
It seems as if the fans would want a fresh apology from King James before the all important Lakers vs Warriors game on Christmas night.
