Fact check: LeBron James' 'nothing to do with white people' quote taken out of context
The claim: Basketball star LeBron James said he wants nothing to do with white people
A quote about NBA superstar LeBron James' alleged feelings about white people with a screenshot image of his appearance on HBO program, "The Shop" appeared on social media in early June, but a June 6 post by Facebook user Xavier A Keough recently went viral.
"I don't want nothing to do with white people. I don't believe they want anything to do with me. I don't want no (white) friends. It's me and my boys." the quote reads.
"The Shop" is an HBO talk show created by James in 2018 that is set in different barbershops around the country, according to the show's website. James apparently made the comments about white people when he appeared on an episode.
While Keough's post praised James for his philanthropy, it called the lack of backlash to James' statement a double standard.
"If a white player made such a racist statement his face would be plastered all over the news and he'd be immediately released by his team," Keough posted.
Two other Facebook users who posted the claim to their accounts had similar feelings.
"Deny it all you want but racism goes both ways. One doesn't justify the other it just perpetuates it," Bob Gare, Sr. wrote.
Georgette Mcguire wrote, "I hope the White Boys will quit paying to watch him play! What an idiot!" in her post.
Keough did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
Does James really want 'nothing to do with white people'?
James made the statements during the Aug. 28, 2018, premiere of "The Shop." An excerpt of the show was posted to the Twitter account of Rob Lopez. Lopez is a producer for podcast network "Count the Dings," according to his Twitter profile.
"I went to an all-white Catholic high school. So, when I first went to the ninth grade in high school, I was also like, I'm not ****ing with white people. I was so institutionalized growing up in the hood, it was like, 'they don't ***k with us, they don't want us to succeed," James told a group of men that included comedian and producer Jon Stewart.
James attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, a predominantly white school in Akron, Ohio, from 1999-2003, according to ESPN.
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James went on to explain about the racial hierarchy he sensed growing up that put white people on top.
"I'm going to this school to play ball and that's it. I don't want nothing to do with white people. I don't believe that they want anything to do with me. It's me and my boys, we going to high school together, we're here to hoop," James said, referencing his teammates Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis.
The "band of brothers" decided to attend St. Vincent because it was unlikely that Joyce would make the varsity team at a local, predominantly black public high school, the Los Angeles Times reported. The team won a state championship in 2003.
But James' feelings about his white classmates soon changed, according to business partner Maverick Carter, who was also featured on the episode.
"Sport and basketball, it's the most unifying thing. By the end of the year, all of us were best friends. Our black friends from the hood was coming (to play), his white friends ... and we were just all having a ****ing great time," Carter said.
In light of the full context, James' original comments were misconstrued.
Our rating: Partly false
We rate this claim PARTLY FALSE because some of it is not supported by our research. James did make comments about white people on an episode of his television show, but they referred to his past as a high school student at a predominantly white high school. The claim is inaccurate because it doesn't include James' full statement. Further, the claim is misleading in that it is posted years later, amid a time of protests over systematic racism and police brutality..
Our fact-check sources:
Los Angeles Times, "LeBron James and his band of brothers"
Rob Lopez, Aug. 28, 2018, tweet
The Undefeated, "For Maverick Carter, running King James’ empire was always the game plan"
PolitiFact, "Images mischaracterize LeBron James’ views on white people"
Reuters Fact Check, "LeBron James quote on white people taken out of context"
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: LeBron James' comments about white people misconstrued
