LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Los Angeles Lakers arrived in red baseball caps for Game 1 of their first round against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, with just one twist.
The caps were embroidered with “Make America Great Again” in white letters, just 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 printed underneath .
The Lakers Instagram account shared a gallery of the team with the hats from the hotel to the arena for the playoff prelude with the headline “Justice for Breonna Taylor”.
“They know we keep going and pushing,” said LeBron James after the Lakers’ 100-93 defeat. “You know, the situation in Louisville, Kentucky. An innocent woman who was killed in Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future and whose future was stolen from her. And there were no arrests. There was no justice.” Not just for her, but also for her family. And we want to keep shedding light on this situation because it’s just unjust and that’s what it’s about. “
It was a continuation of the Lakers and many other players’ call for awareness of the circumstances of Taylor’s death since the NBA invited 22 teams to Orlando, Florida, to resume their season last month.
Taylor, a black paramedic, was killed in Louisville after plainclothes officials issued an arrest warrant related to a drug investigation and reportedly shot the 26-year-old at least eight times. No drugs were found.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were awakened by officers who came into their home with a battering ram just after midnight on March 13. Walker fired his gun, saying he was in self defense, believing his home had been broken into.
Police claim they didn’t fire their guns until after Walker shot his. Detective Brett Hankison has been fired. Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, the other officers involved, were administratively reassigned. Lonita Baker, the Taylor family attorney, met with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) last week.
“We won’t wait forever,” Baker said, according to the Washington Post. “We want this to be resolved quickly and accurately.”
When James was last in the playoffs with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, he organized matching Thom Browne suits that his teammates could wear to every game. The shared gaze on Tuesday focused more on activism than aesthetics.
“First and foremost, we can’t forget the big picture of why we’re here – justice to those who have died,” said Danny Green, the Lakers’ guardian, after the game. “Especially Breonna Taylor.”
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