LeBron apologizes for 'Jewish money' reference on Instagram
Following the Los Angeles Lakers' 107-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James apologized for his choice of language on his Instagram account over the weekend.
James shared lyrics from the song "ASMR" by 21 Savage, which includes the line: "We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher."
"Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone," James said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "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. 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."
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
McMenamin notes that James interpreted the lyrics as a symbol of strength in the Jewish business community.
The NBA accepted James' explanation and will take no action, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers star is followed by 45.8-million people on Instagram.