Sandy MaloneLos Angeles, CA – Baseball legend Aubrey Huff called basketball legend LeBron James a “piece of s—t” and told him to “go f—k yourself” after James painted a target on the Columbus, Ohio police officer who shot a knife-wielding teenage girl on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Lakers star posted a picture on Wednesday from a cell phone video of the officer who shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant on April 20.
The Columbus Division of Police has identified the officer as Columbus Police Officer Nicholas Reardon, according to WBNS.
James captioned the picture of Officer Reardon – “YOU’RE NEXT” – followed by an hourglass that implied a countdown, and the hashtag “#ACCOUNTABILITY.”
After getting immediately backlash, basketball star known as “King James” took the tweet down and replaced with it an explanation that many thought didn’t hold water.
“ANGER does any of us any good and that includes myself!” James tweeted. “Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail!”
ANGER does any of us any good and that includes myself! Gathering all the facts and educating does though! My anger still is here for what happened that lil girl. My sympathy for her family and may justice prevail! 🙏🏾✊🏾🤎👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021
Then he posted again to explain his initial tweet.
“I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police,” James wrote. “I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer. it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer. it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021
But James’ tweet sparked immediate outrage on social media, including from a number of professional athletes.
“Hey @KingJames go f–k yourself for doxing a police officer for just doing his job,” Huff, who played 13 seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB), tweeted at James.
“I’d bet if that was your son about to get stabbed you’d be singing a different tune you piece of s–t! You’re a huge reason the @NBA is down 80% in viewership within the last year,” Huff continued.
The incident occurred just before the verdict in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was announced and protests broke out immediately afterwards in Ohio.
Bodycam video released less than 24 hours after the incident showed that Bryant knocked one girl down and was going for another girl with a knife in front of police when she was shot.
Fox anchor Harris Faulkner: "Lebron James is coming under heat because this appeared to incite violence. You know, even Twitter is not responding. They normally would slap a sticker on something like this or suspend the account!"
Except, of course, he already deleted the tweet! pic.twitter.com/s5FT8c2IO3
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 22, 2021
James’ critics accused him of rushing to judgment and inciting supporters to attack Officer Reardon before he had been given due process.
"YOU'RE NEXT"
This post by @KingJames could be read as an incitement to violence against a @ColumbusPolice officer who responded to the attempted stabbing attack by #MakhiaBryant. LeBron James has deleted the tweet. Here is an archive: https://t.co/6Dn4LnS22M #BLM pic.twitter.com/epH7EQFjuf— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) April 21, 2021
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that the “left” consistently demonizes police before the facts are known in every incident.
“In this instance, ‘you’re next’ could certainly be interpreted by some even as a call for violence and I think it was a grossly irresponsible message for LeBron James to send out,” Cruz told FOX News.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens, who founded the BLEXIT movement, called for James to lose sponsorships for his irresponsible behavior.
If America was a country that believed in justice, Lebron James would be stripped of all of his sponsorships. https://t.co/LNyygUnFvu
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 22, 2021
But some in the Black Lives Matter movement think the shooting was the officer’s fault because nobody needed him there.
“Teenagers have been having fights including fights involving knives for eons,” activist Bree Newsome tweeted. “We do not need police to address these situations by showing up to the scene & using a weapon against one of the teenagers. Y’all need help. I mean that sincerely.”
Teenagers have been having fights including fights involving knives for eons. We do not need police to address these situations by showing up to the scene & using a weapon against one of the teenagers. Y’all need help. I mean that sincerely.
— DEFUND & ABOLISH POLICE, REFUND OUR COMMUNITIES (@BreeNewsome) April 21, 2021
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has not yet weighed in on James’ tweet.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has opened up an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting, WBNS reported.
It’s not the first time that James has launched himself into the center of a controversy.
He walked off the court during the National Anthem at the 2019-2020 season opening game.
Holly Matkin