LeBron James apologizes for 'antisemitic' Instagram post

James added that he was not aware of the offensive nature of the lyrics and the stereotype that accompanied it.

DECEMBER 24, 2018 10:43

Updated: DECEMBER 24, 2018 13:08

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (photo credit: GARY A. VASQUEZ-USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS) — Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James

(photo credit: GARY A. VASQUEZ-USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS)

NBA star LeBron James apologized for an offensive Instagram post, in which he referenced "getting that Jewish money," which was widely panned as antisemitic.

James, speaking to ESPN after a Sunday-night game, said he did not want to offend anyone and that posting song lyrics was just a part of the way he used social media.

"I always [post lyrics]," James told ESPN. "That's what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music and that was the byproduct of it."

James added that he was not aware of the offensive nature of the lyrics and the stereotype that accompanied it.

"So, I actually thought it was a compliment and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people," he said, apologizing immediately. "My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody."

The Los Angeles Lakers forward came under fire from the Jewish community and sports reporters alike after the seemingly antisemitic post to his Instagram account on Saturday.

Surprised LeBron, who makes very few mistakes, put this out. Does quoting lyrics from a song absolve the person quoting from the responsibility behind the words? I’d argue no, especially with a following of 45 million. pic.twitter.com/efv9gkXres
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 23, 2018

The four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion posted a selfie that accompanied text, quoting rapper 21 Savage's song lyrics, saying, “We getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher.”

Darren Rovell, sports business reporter for ActionNetworkHQ, tweeted to his followers after posting a screenshot of James's post, "go find a Jew and read this to them. Any one -- Adam Silver, Dan Gilbert, David Stern -- then tell me how they reacted and come back to me."

James had removed the post from his social media account within an hour of posting.

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Zachary Keyser contributed to this report.