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LeBron James didn't 'want nothing to do with white people' as a teen: 'They don't f*** with us
NBA superstar LeBron James discussed his negative perception of white people on HBO's "The Shop." (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

LeBron James didn't 'want nothing to do with white people' as a teen: 'They don't f*** with us

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James revealed on HBO's "The Shop" that when he was in high school, he had a severely anti-white perspective because of his upbringing.

"The Shop," which lists James as one of the executive producers, shows James and his friends and colleagues gathered in a barbershop setting to discuss and debate the issues of the day.

James was talking about his transition into St. Vincent-St. Mary Catholic School, a predominantly white private school in Akron, Ohio.

What did he say?

“When I first went to the ninth grade in high school, I was on some ‘I’m not f***ing with white people,’” James said. “I was so institutionalized growing up in the 'hood it was like, ‘They don’t f*** with us, they don’t want us to succeed.’

“So I’m like, ‘I’m going to this school to play ball and that’s it. I don’t want nothing to do with white people,’” James continued. “That was my initial thoughts and my initial shock to white America, when I was 14 years old, for the first time in my life. It took me a little while to adjust to it.”

James completed all four years at St. Vincent-St. Mary, becoming a nationally known basketball star by the time he was in 10th grade and eventually becoming the first pick in the NBA Draft just months after he graduated.

Why does this matter?

Now in the latter stages of his NBA career, James has become much more socially and politically active. He has given back to underprivileged youths in Cleveland and Akron for years, and he campaigned for Hillary Clinton.

Lately, James has found himself in a few high profile spats with President Donald Trump. Most recently after a CNN interview with Don Lemon in which James accused the president of emboldening racists.

"No, I think it's always been there, but I think the president in charge now has given people — they don't care now," James said, asked if Trump made life harder for black people. "They throw it in your face now."

James' admission that he has experienced feelings of animosity against people based on their race adds interesting context to his ongoing feud with Trump over racial issues.

(H/T Fox News)

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