LeBron James apologizes for "Jewish money" Instagram post
/ CBS/AP
LeBron James says he's sorry he posted a lyric that referenced "Jewish money." The Los Angeles Lakers superstar said he simply got caught up in the music, thought the lyric was a "compliment" and he offered "apologies, for sure."
The lyric comes from the song "ASMR" by rapper 21 Savage. James shared it over the weekend on his Instagram account, which has nearly 46 million followers.
The lyric says, "We been getting that Jewish money, Everything is Kosher."
James apologized on ESPN, saying, " "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. 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."
Later the rapper tweeted his own apology.
CBSSports.com's Kevin Skiver writes, "ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA does not plan to fine James for the post, and has accepted James' explanation that the lyric was a mistake."
James' post was highlighted by Darren Rovell of The Action Network, which The Washington Post describes as "a start-up media company focused on sports gambling."
Rovell tweeted that he's "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.
Rovell added:
Since we’re confined to characters on Twitter, and still have people asking me about why Jewish money isn’t a compliment, here’s a longer explanation on my Instagram page https://t.co/jEP7t52DH4
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 24, 2018
First published on December 25, 2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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