LeBron James Praises Colin Kaepernick, Hopes NFL Settlement Is Substantial

LeBron James reserved special praise for former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his “sacrifice” to stand for a greater cause. The former San Francisco 49ers signal caller became one of the first players to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

The Los Angeles Lakers star was speaking to HBO’s “The Shop” when he praised Kaepernick and admitted that the former quarterback had the sport “taken away from him” by the NFL teams after he became the face of the movement that saw a number of NFL players kneel during the national anthem.

Kaepernick opted out of the final year of his contract with the 49ers to become a free agent in 2016 and thereafter held conversations with numerous NFL franchises, but none were interested in signing him. He filed a complaint accusing the NFL of colluding against him to keep him out of the game owing to his protests.

After a long drawn legal battle, the NFL recently reached a settlement on the civil lawsuit with the former quarterback for a reported $60 million to $80 million. It was a major victory for the player, who is unlikely to play in the NFL again.

James was full of praise for Kaepernick, who he believes gave up his life-long dream of playing in the NFL to bring attention to a bigger cause. The Lakers star also hoped that his settlement with the NFL will help set up him and his family for generations to come.

“Kap’s still for something that was bigger than him,” James said on HBO’s “The Shop”. “He sacrificed. How many people can wake up and say, you know what? I’ll give everything that I’ve worked for my whole life for the better of the conversation. Oh, I’m gonna lose everything I got personally for the better of the conversation. That’s why we can sit here and salute Kap.”

James added: “And I hope that whatever the amount of money he got sets him up for him, his kids, his grandkids, and his grandkids’ kids’ kids. I hope it’s that much money, I really do. Because the beautiful sport was taken away from him. So, I hope that whatever the settlement was, it sets generations up forever.”

James’ conversation on the “The Shop” also included Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis. Both the players are currently in a tussle with their respective employers and are seeking a trade to another team.