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LeBron James, Lakers wear fake MAGA hats calling for justice for Breonna Taylor

LeBron James, Lakers wear fake MAGA hats calling for justice for Breonna Taylor
Posted at 11:42 AM, Aug 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-19 14:42:09-04

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, along with his teammates, made a social justice statement by wearing fake MAGA hats before Tuesday's game against Portland in the first round of the playoffs.

Lakers players showed up wearing a red baseball cap, with a twist. Each cap had "Make America Great Again" stitched in white, 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 stitched below.

According to ESPN, James addressed the statement after the Lakers' 100-93 loss.

"You know, this is something that we continue to put our foot on the gas, continue to pressure," LeBron James told ESPN. "You know, the situation that's going on in Louisville, Kentucky — an innocent woman being killed in Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future and her future was taken away from her. And there's been no arrests. There's been no justice. Not only for her, but for her family. And we want to continue to shed light on that situation, because it's just unjust, and that's what it's about."

The death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, fueled protests across the country after she was killed in her apartment by Louisville officers who executed a "no-knock" search warrant.

Taylor and her boyfriend were in bed when they were awoken by officers. After a brief exchange, Taylor's boyfriend fired his gun, he said, in self-defense. Police fired shots, striking Taylor at least eight times. She died in the apartment hallway.

Since her death, protesters, athletes and celebrities demanded that the officers involved be charged in her death. Earlier this year, the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays posted a similar message on Twitter.

The shooting is currently under investigation by the FBI and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Both are deciding whether criminal charges are warranted in the case.

This story was originally published by WEWS in Cleveland.