Fox Sports host Jason Whitlock blasted LeBron James, saying the NBA star “needs to quit embracing his victimhood because he’s not a victim,” on the heels of racist graffiti painted at James’ Los Angeles home.
“No matter how rich you are, no matter how famous you are, it’s tough being black in America — that is a lie,” Whitlock said Thursday on “The Herd” radio show. “It’s not tough being Oprah Winfrey, it’s not tough being LeBron James.”
Earlier this week, James didn’t mince his words when discussing the racist graffiti that included the N-word.
“It goes to show that racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America,” James said at a press conference. “Hate in America, especially for African Americans, is living everyday.”
Whitlock disagrees and said so to Colin Cowherd.
“Racism is an issue in America. But it is primarily an issue for the poor. It’s not LeBron James’ issue. LeBron James, whether he likes it or not, or whether people close to him are telling him or not, he has removed himself from the damages and the ravages of real racism,” Whitlock said.
The sports icon, “Trainwreck” star and brand ambassador — who has an estimated net worth of $400 million — went on to say that the incident reminded him of 1955 lynching-victim Emmett Till’s mother, who insisted that her son have an open coffin at his funeral so people could not ignore the brutality of the killing.
“No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough,” James told reporters. “And we’ve got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African-Americans until we feel equal.”
Whitlock said, “This ain’t Emmett Till,” during his appearance on “The Herd.”
The LAPD is currently investigating the incident at James’ home and could possibly label it a hate crime, Media Relations Officer Jefferson told TheWrap. The department received a call at 6:14 a.m. Wednesday morning, Jefferson said. An officer responded to the call, but the racial-slur graffiti as reported to the police had already been painted over by an unknown person.
James, a native of Akron, Ohio, does not reside at the home on any sort of a regular basis.
According to the LA Times, he bought the 9,440-square-foot Brentwood estate in 2015. Records show it sold for about $21 million. It was built in 2011 and designed by architect Ken Ungar.
James and his Cleveland Cavaliers face the Golden State Warriors to defend their NBA title starting on Thursday night, marking the third time in a row that the teams have faced each other in the Finals.