>> Harris: LeBRON JAMES IS
TAKING HEAT FOR HIS REACTION TO
THE POLICE SHOOTING OF THE
16-YEAR-OLD MA‘KHIA BRYANT IN
COLUMBUS, OHIO.
LeBRON JAMES TWEETED A PHOTO
OF THE POLICE OFFICER WHO SHOT
THE BLACK TEENAGER WITH THE
CAPTION "YOUR NEXT."
AND AN HOURGLASS, DO YOU SEE THE
EMOJI?
THAT GENERALLY MEANS TIME IS
RUNNING OUT.
JAMES LATER DELETED THAT TWEET
AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EMOTIONS
WERE RUNNING HIGH.
HE OFFERED HIS SYMPATHIES TO THE
TEENAGER’S FAMILY AND THIS, "I
AM SO TIRED OF SEEING BLACK
PEOPLE KILLED BY POLICE.
I TOOK THE TWEET DOWN BECAUSE
IT’S BEING USED TO CREATE MORE
HATE.
THIS ISN’T ABOUT ONE OFFICER
IT’S ABOUT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND
THEY ALWAYS USE OUR WORDS TO
CREATE MORE RACISM.
I’M SO DESPERATE FOR MORE
ACCOUNTABILITY."
TED CRUZ SAYS THIS TYPE OF
REACTION IS GETTING TO BE ALL
TOO COMMON.
>> THIS IS A PATTERN WHERE THE
LEFT CONSISTENTLY GOES AFTER
ATTACKS AND DEMONIZES POLICE
OFFICERS AND THEY DO SO OFTEN
BEFORE THE FACTS ARE KNOWN OR
BEFORE THERE IS ANY EVIDENCE AND
IN THIS INSTANCE, YOU ARE NEXT
COULD BE INTERPRETED BY SOME AS
A CALL FOR VIOLENCE.
I THINK IT WAS A GROSSLY
IRRESPONSIBLE MESSAGE FOR
LeBRON JAMES TO SEND OUT.
>> Harris: BRIAN, IN ALL OF
YOUR YEARS OF COVERAGE FOR
SPORTS AND BEING INVOLVED, I’M
CURIOUS TO KNOW YOUR TAKE ON HOW
THIS AFFECTS OTHER ATHLETES.
TO HAVE LeBRON JAMES COME OUT
AND DELETE A TWEET.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
WHY ISN’T THE COMMISSIONER
SAYING ANYTHING.
IF THE FACT IS INTERPRETED AS
VIOLENT AND NOT HELPFUL.
LeBRON JAMES RUNS THE LEAGUE.
HE’S MORE POWERFUL THE
COMMISSIONER.
TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO,
THAT’S HOW MUCH POWER HE HAS.
I DID A SHOW WITH JIM BROWN WHO
IN THE 1960s, WILL
CHAMBERLAIN, MUHAMMAD ALI, SO
MANY OTHERS AND WHEN ATHLETES
STOOD UP AND SAID ENOUGH, SO I
KNOW HE WANTED MICHAEL JORDAN TO
STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT FOR THE
LONGEST TIME AND HE SAYS I’M NOT
GOING TO DO THAT.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE SAYING, I
THINK ATHLETES THINK HE SHOULD
SPEAK UP, BUT TAKE A BREATH,
BECAUSE IF YOU GO ON TWITTER AND
THREATEN SOMEONE, I THOUGHT YOU
GET BANNED?
I’M STILL WAITING TO READ THAT
HUNTER BIDEN STORY.
HE CAME DOWN AND SAID, IT DOES
NOT DO ANYONE GOOD, MY ANGER IS
STILL HERE FOR WHAT HAPPENS.
I HAVE MY SYMPATHY FOR THAT GIRL
AND HER FAMILY.
I THINK IT’S IRRESPONSIBLE.
50 MILLION PEOPLE.
IF YOU WATCH ESPN, THEY LEAD
EVERY "SPORTSCENTER" WITH
ATHLETES SPEAKING OUT.
THERE IS NO BALANCE ANYWHERE.
THEY ARE DOWN 40% ON ABC AND 20%
ON ESPN AND I THINK THESE THINGS
ARE RELATED.
PEOPLE WANT A BREAK.
>> Harris: KENNEDY?
>> Kennedy: I DON’T WANT TO
HEAR FROM LeBRON JAMES BECAUSE
HE’S BASICALLY CONDONED OF THE
UIGHURS IN CHINA AND HIS ACTIONS
ON CHINA HAVE BEEN UTTERLY
REPREHENSIBLE.
THOSE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING
STERILIZED AND SLAUGHTERED AND
PUT IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND
TO ME THAT’S AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE.
NUMBER TWO AGO, HE’S NOT NEAR
ONE OF THE GREATEST LAKERS EVER.
YOU WILL NEVER BE KOBE AND I
WOULD MUCH RATHER HEAR FROM SHAQ
O’NEILL BECAUSE HE WAS A COP AND
IT WOULD MUCH RATHER HEAR FROM
HIM, NOT ONLY HIS HIGH PROFILE,
BUT THE LOVE HE HAS, BUT HAVING
WARNED THE BADGE AND KNOWING
WHAT HE DOES ABOUT
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
I DON’T KNOW.
LeBRON IS GETTING OLD.
>> Harris: I’M ALWAYS CURIOUS
WHEN I HEAR ANYONE OF COLOR SAY
SOMETHING LIKE HE TWEETED.
"THEY ALWAYS USE OUR WORDS."
WHO?
WHO DOES HE REPRESENT?
WE ARE NOT MONOLITHIC AS
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, WHATEVER YOU
WANT TO CALL US, WE ARE NOT.
WE DON’T ALWAYS THINK THE SAME.
IN FACT, WE’VE SEEN PROTESTING
THAT’S HAD NO LEADERSHIP ON THE
GROUND SINCE LAST SUMMER!
THERE IS NOT ANYBODY
VOLUNTEERING TO SPEAK UP FOR THE
WHOLE "BLACK COMMUNITY" ALTHOUGH
THERE ARE MANY COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR.
>> Kayleigh: HE SAID THAT
BECAUSE HE’S DESPERATE TO FIND A
WAY TO BLAME OTHERS FOR HIS
HEINOUS TWEET A MISTAKE.
I AGREE WITH KENNEDY.
I WOULD RATHER HEAR FROM
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL.
THAT ASIDE, LeBRON JAMES HAD
THE AUDACITY TO MENTION
ACCOUNTABILITY.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT FOR A
LEFTIST SAYING SOMETHING
INAPPROPRIATE, FOR A MOMENT,
THIS IS NOT SOME CELEBRITY
ATHLETE FROM THE LEFT,
LeBRON JAMES.
LET’S SAY HIS NAME WAS LeBRON
TRUMP AND HE WAS A RIGHT WING
ACTIVISTS, HE WOULD BE BANNED
FROM TWITTER AND HE WOULD LOSE
HIS JOB, HE WOULD BE RELEGATED
TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF SOCIETY.
THERE IS ONE STANDARD FOR THE
LEFT AND THIS MAKES IT CRYSTAL
CLEAR WITH NO RETRIBUTION HERE
FROM TWITTER FOR THAT TWEET.
>> Harris: I WANT TO LEAN ON
YOUR LEGAL ACUMEN NOW BECAUSE
THIS HAS BECOME A TREND.
CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS AND
HER INCENDIARY COMMENTS ON THE
GROUND IN MINNEAPOLIS BEFORE A
VERDICT IN THE DEREK CHAUVIN
CASE CALLING FOR PROTESTERS TO
STAY ON THE STREETS AND GET MORE
CONFRONTATIONAL.
THIS TWEET, HE THINKS HE CAN
WIPE AWAY, EVEN THOUGH MOST
PEOPLE HAVE A SNAPSHOT.
MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T BELIEVE IT
WAS HIM.
HAS TWEET IS ALSO INCENDIARY.
EVEN IF YOU DON’T TAKE EVERY
WORD OF IT TO MEAN VIOLENCE, WHY
DID YOU PUT THAT HOURGLASS EMOJI
THERE?
WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?
HOW DOES THE LAW LOOK AT STUFF
LIKE THIS?
FORGET ABOUT TWITTER.
BUT YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO YELL
"FIRE" WHERE THERE IS NO FIRE!
THAT’S NOT PROTECTED SPEECH.
>> Emily: TO ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION, LEGALLY, ALL THREATS
ARE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND IF THEY
ARE ACTIONABLE, IF THE WHEELS
ARE PUT IN MOTION, THERE IS A
CRIMINAL ELEMENT, YOU CAN INCITE
SOMETHING WITHOUT THERE BEING
THAT HORRIBLE RESULT THAT YOU
CALLED FOR AND IN THE CIVIL
ARENA YOU HAVE TO HAVE DAMAGES,
BUT THE LARGER CONVERSATION, WHY
ARE SOME THREATS ACCEPTABLE AND
SOME AREN’T?
WHAT DOES A THREAT BECOME A
REAL.
IF PEOPLE ARE PUT IN FEAR,
THAT’S A REAL IMPACT AND THIS
POINT IF I MAY, TO KICK
KENNEDY’S BALL FURTHER, REMEMBER
WHEN THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE
ROCKETS SAID I STAND WITH
HONG KONG.
THERE WAS A FIRESTORM.
THE OWNER OF THE ROCKETS
DISTANCED THEMSELVES, THEY HAD
TO APOLOGIZE, HE RESIGNED.
THERE WERE HIGH-PROFILE ATHLETES
THAT TWEETED APOLOGIES.
THE DIFFERENT REACTION HERE AS
COMPARED THERE WAS SO
MIND-BOGGLING AND SO RIDICULOUS
TO SEE HOW MONEY IS THE DRIVING
FACTOR.
WHEN YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE THIS,
GOING BACK TO THAT TRIAL,
REMEMBER THE PROSECUTION IS SO
EASY TO SAY WE SUPPORT
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND WE DON’T
SUPPORT ACTIONS.
THAT ILLUSTRATES THE FACT THAT
YOU CAN SUPPORT BOTH.
YOU CAN TAKE THAT HUMAN APPROACH
WITHOUT VILIFYING ALL OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SPEED 2% OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
ARE FORMER MILITARY AND WE ARE
SEEING GROWING NUMBER OF
PEOPLE OF COLOR, RACIAL
MINORITIES MAKING UP THAT.
WHERE DO WE GO WHEN WE REACH
SOME SORT OF A BALANCE THERE,
HOW WILL LeBRON JAMES
CHARACTERIZE POLICING IN
AMERICA?
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT ABOUT RACE.
I WANT YOUR LAST THOUGHT.
>> Brian: LeBRON JAMES HAS
TO TAKE A STEP BACK.
THEY’LL HAVE TO TAKE A STEP
BACK.
ON YOUR POINT THAT YOU BROUGHT
UP, NOT ONLY WHEN THE ROCKETS
OWNER CAME OUT AND SAID, I
SUPPORT HONG KONG, CHINA BANNED
THE NBA AND HE WAS CRITICAL OF
THE GM, HE CALLED HIM IGNORANT,
NOT UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS.
AND THEN THE NBA CUT A DEAL, WE
DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS, BUT TO
GET BACK IN CHINA.