The men’s basketball icon soon had to clarify his comments
LeBron James has been forced into a rapid U-turn after questioning if US women’s basketball star Brittney Griner, who is detained in Russia on drugs charges, would even want to return to her homeland.
In a short clip shared from James’ talk show ‘The Shop: Uninterrupted’, the four-time NBA champion was heard discussing Griner’s case.
“Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’” James asked.
The comments were an apparent criticism of the US government’s efforts to secure the release of Griner, who has been detained in Russia since mid-February.
But the remarks were seized on by some who accused James of disrespecting the US, or even suggesting that Griner might be better off inside a Russian prison.
The LA Lakers star promptly took to social media to state that he did not intend to insult his homeland.
“My comments on ‘The Shop’ regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country,” tweeted James.