LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Los Angeles Lakers came Tuesday night in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers in red baseball caps, only with a twist.
The caps had “White America Great Again” stuck in white letters, just like the one President Donald Trump often wears, but the words “Great Again” were crossed out and the message “Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” was printed below.
The Lakers’ Instagram account shared a gallery of the team with the hotel’s caps to the arena for their playoff opener titled “Justice for Breonna Taylor.”
“You know this is something we keep putting our foot on the gas, keep up the pressure,” LeBron James said after the Lakers’ 100-93 loss. “You know, the situation that’s happening in Louisville, Kentucky. An innocent woman is murdered in Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future and her future was taken away from her. And there have been no arrests. “There has been no justice. Not just for her, but for her family. And we want to continue to shed light on that situation, because it’s just unfair and that’s what it’s about.”
It was a continuation of talks to raise awareness about the circumstances surrounding Taylor’s death created by the Lakers and many other players since the NBA invited 22 teams to Orlando, Florida to restart his season last month.
Taylor, a black medical technician for emergency services, was killed in Louisville after plaque officials conducted a “no-knock” release in connection with a drug investigation and shot the 26-year-old at least eight times, per reports. No drugs were found.
Taylor and her friend, Kenneth Walker, were awakened by officers using a rattling ram to enter their apartment shortly after midnight on March 13. Walker fired his gun, he said, in self-defense, believing his home was broken into.
Police say they set their weapons on fire only after Walker fired his shot. Detective Brett Hankison was fired. Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, the other officers involved, were placed on administrative order. Lonita Baker, the attorney representing the Taylor family, met last week with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R).
“We will not wait forever,” Baker said, according to the Washington Post. “We want this resolved quickly and accurately.”
The last time James was in the playoffs, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, he organized appropriate Thom Browne suits for his teammates to contribute to every game. The shared look on Tuesday was central to activism, rather than aesthetics.
“First and foremost, we can not forget the big picture. Why we are here – justice for those who died,” Lakers guard Danny Green said after the game. “Breonna Taylor especially.”
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