White House adviser Jared Kushner said that he would be willing to meet with L.A. Lakers star LeBron James to discuss a “common path forward” when it comes to matters of racial injustice.
In an interview with Politico , President Donald Trump’s son-in-law said that, if given the opportunity, he would talk to the NBA player about his concerns in regards to social justice and specifically racism in policing.
On Wednesday, according to a companion Politico report, the sports world collectively took the night off with few exceptions, to boycott their scheduled games in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake , a Black man who was shot and killed by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
LeBron and the Lakers took things a step further and they along with Los Angeles’ other NBA team, the Clippers, voted to boycott the rest of the season.
Kushner noted that NBA players like LeBron have the “luxury of taking the night off from work” while most Americans couldn’t do that.
“I think it’s nice they’re standing up for the issue, but I’d like to see them start moving to concrete solutions that are productive,” he said.
Politico Playbook author Jake Sherman, who participated in the interview, noted that James has invested money into making his community a better place. Kushner conceded that LeBron had opened a “phenomenal” charter school in Cleveland, then accused the player of “backing people who want to close down charter schools.”
He went on to say that, if James contacted the White House, he (Kushner) would be glad to discuss things with him.
“Look, if LeBron James reached out to the White House… we’re happy to talk with him and say, ‘Look, let’s both agree on what we want to accomplish… and let’s come up with a common pathway to get there.”
Sherman asked Kushner if he had reached out to James, to which he responded that he had not. He then promised to reach out to him today.
In a Thursday tweet, James didn’t reference Kushner directly. He did, however, say that calls for change need to be backed up with concrete action, and referenced his Cleveland charter school.
Change doesn’t happen with just talk!! It happens with action and needs to happen NOW! For my @IPROMISESchool kids, kids and communities across the country, it’s on US to make a difference. Together. That’s why your vote is @morethanavote ?? #BlackLivesMatter
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 27, 2020
Elsewhere in the Trump administration, the response to the NBA’s boycott of the rest of the season is being met with indifference. Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said that if NBA players want to protest, “We don’t care,” as ESPN reported
