LeBron James says he'll stand for the national anthem before NBA games this season -- but Erotica Manila Episode 3don't get it twisted.
The NBA Finals MVP says he respects the national anthem protests began by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick last month, and that he worries about what could happen should his own sons encounter police officers.
SEE ALSO: 'Courageous' teens who protested while playing national anthem are part of 50 years of history"I'm not here to ramp on America, that's not me," James said Monday. "I'm not a politician, but I've lived this life and I've got a family and what scares me is my kids growing up in this society right now, where innocent lives are being taken and it seems like nothing is being done."
Monday was pre-season media day for NBA teams. With national anthem protests having spread across the sports world in recent weeks, many expect NBA players -- who, generally speaking, have been outspoken on social issues before -- to make public statements of their own before games this season.
James said he plans to stand during the anthem. But that doesn't mean he isn't tuned into the racial inequality Kaepernick's protests are meant to highlight.
James' eldest child, LeBron James Jr. (who is a budding basketball star in his own right) is 12 years old. The Cleveland Cavaliers star also has another son and a daughter, and says he already fears what might happen when his children are old enough to drive.
"You tell your kids if you just apply and if you just listen to the police that they will be respectful and it will work itself out," he said. "You see these videos that continue to come out, and it's a scary-ass situation that if my son calls me and says that he's been pulled over that I'm not that confident that things are going to go well and my son is going to return home."
Kaepernick's protests have been met with divided reaction. Many support him and the message he is delivering, while others have criticized him vehemently. Count James among the former.
"I'm all in favor of anyone, athlete or non-athlete, being able to express what they believe in in a peaceful manner and that's exactly what Colin Kaepernick is doing and I respect that," James said.
"When I'm passionate about something I'll speak up on it, so me standing for the national anthem is something I will do." he continued. "That's who I am, that's what I believe in. But that doesn't mean I don't respect and don't agree with what Colin Kaepernick is doing. You have the right to voice your opinion, stand for your opinion and he's doing it in the most peaceful way I've ever seen someone do something."
James has made social statements of his own before.
Two seasons ago, he was one of a handful of NBA stars to wear T-shirts reading "I can't breathe" during pre-game warmups, a reference to the final words of Eric Garner before he was killed by police in New York City. In 2012, while a member of the Miami Heat, James and his teammates posed while wearing hooded sweatshirts in acknowledgment of slain teenager Trayvon Martin.
And at the ESPY Awards this July, James was joined onstage by NBA stars Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade to deliver a somber message about violence and injustice after Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were killed in Louisiana and Minnesota, respectively.
That message: "Enough is enough."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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