New York, July 12 NBA superstar LeBron James will be one of 17 players who will not be wearing a social justice message on the back of his jersey when the season resumes in Orlando, Florida. James said that he felt doing so did not resonate with his "mission".
"I actually didn't go with a name on the back of my jersey," James said in a video conference call with reporters. "It was no disrespect to the list that was handed out to all the players. I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It's just something that didn't really seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal.
"I would have loved to have a say-so on what would have went on the back of my jersey. I had a couple things in mind, but I wasn't part of that process, which is OK. I'm absolutely OK with that... I don't need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know what I'm about and what I'm here to do," the Los Angeles Lakers star added.
285 of the 350 players are expected to wear a message when the season resumes on July 30, after four months of break caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The approved messages include Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can't Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can), Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am A Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform, and Mentor.
( With inputs from IANS )