LeBron’s choice, along with teammate Kyrie Irving, to wear the “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt they’d been sent from the Brooklyn Nets’ Jarrett Jack on Dec. 8, 2014, in the wake of 43-year-old Eric Garner’s death after an NYPD officer put him in a chokehold, marked a political turning point for him when it came to speaking out publicly and more pointedly about race and police brutality.
Jack wore a shirt during warm-ups before that night’s home game against the Cavs as well, as did teammates Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Alan Anderson. Around the league over the ensuing days, Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant were among those who also wore the “I Can’t Breathe” shirt.
“I think it’s really important that we show our respect to the families,” Irving told reporters in the locker room before the game. “More importantly we’re in the city where tragedy happened and it’s really important to us that we stand up for a cause, especially this one. It hits close to home and means a lot to me.”
James had called it a “possibility” that he’d wear the shirt out on the court. Asked what the gesture meant to him later, he replied, “I don’t know. It’s not for us to figure out. It’s just for us to understand what we’re going through as a society. I’ve been forwarded over and over about what’s been going on. This is more of a notion to the family more than anything. As a society we have to do better. We have to be better for one another no matter what race you are. But it’s more of a shout-out to the family more than anything because they’re the ones who should be getting the energy and effort.”
