The NBA will not take action against LeBron James, after he apologized for sharing an Instagram post where he raps an offensive lyric.
On Sunday, James expressed his remorse for quoting the 21 Savage lyric "Getting Jewish money. Everything Kosher" on his Instagram. The quote is taken from "ASMR," a new song on the Atlanta rapper's latest album, I am > I Was.
"Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone. That's not why I chose to share that lyric. I always [post lyrics]. That's what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music, and that was the byproduct of it," James told ESPN. "So I actually thought it was a compliment, and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people. My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody."
As a result of his apology, a league source told ESPN that the 4-time NBA MVP will not face any punishments for his posts after the NBA accepted his explanation that it was a mistake.
But not everyone has been as forgiving. GQ's Nathaniel Friedman tweeted that James should not be allowed to "plead ignorance" when it comes to not knowing whether something is an offensive stereotype or not. He argues that James "has been one of the powerful and successful athletes on Earth for 15 years," and that "he should know better."
