LeBron James was the target of comments from LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva earlier this week and people have been coming out in his defense.
On Saturday, an unknown individual walked up to two sheriffs deputies seated in their car in Compton, California and opened fire on both of them for no reason. The two are currently in critical but stable condition in a hospital.
In an interview with 790 KABC on Monday night, Villanueva called for LeBron James to match the $100,000 reward that was issued for in an effort to find the gunman responsible for the shooting of two LA County sheriffs deputies.
“I want to make a challenge to LeBron James,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday. “I want you to match that and double that reward because I know you care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting statement on race relations and officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African-American community and I appreciate that, but likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across professions, races, creeds, and I’d like to see LeBron James step up to the plate and double that.”
When asked by a reporter if he sees Villanueva’s challenge as a way of fanning flames, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers had an emphatic response.
“I don’t think anyone’s fanning flames,” Rivers said. “I just think we’re drawing attention to things that are happening in our country. We don’t want anyone killed, period. If you just stop there and make it a better, safer place for all, that’s what we want.”
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LeBron has not spoken out about the incident nor the challenge to match the reward money.
