LeBron James says 'being black in America' is tough after experiencing racial vandalism

Basketball star LeBron James fell victim to a racially motivated attack on his personal property Wednesday when a suspect allegedly spray-painted the n-word outside of his Los Angeles home.

About the incident, James spoke to reporters inside Oakland's Oracle Arena about the trials of being black in America.

“I think back to Emmett Till’s mom, actually,” James said. “That’s one of the first things I thought of. The reason she had an open casket was that she wanted to show the world what her son went through as far as a hate crime, and being black in America. No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough. We’ve got a long way to go, for us as a society and for us as African Americans, until we feel equal in America.”

Emmett Till was a black teenager who was lynched in 1955 Mississippi at the age of 14 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman.

According to The Washington Post, law enforcement officials confirmed that the racial epithet had been graffitied on the front gate of a home James owns in Los Angeles.

The LAPD stated that they would investigate the vandalism as a hate crime.

James continued and said:

“As I sit here on the eve of one of the greatest sporting events that we have in sports, race and what’s going on comes again, and on my behalf and on my family’s behalf. But I look at it as, if this can shed light and continue to keep the conversation going on my behalf, then I’m okay with it. My family is safe. They’re safe, and that’s most important. It just goes to show that racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America. Hate in America, especially for African Americans, is with them every day. Even though it’s concealed most of the time, people hide their faces, say things about you. When they see you, they smile in your face. It’s alive every single day.”