NBA Rumors: LeBron James Return Looms, Responds To Bar Owner Who Wants Him Expelled

LeBron James has yet to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers due to his injury. However, the four-time NBA champion is pretty much in the mix. In fact, he was embroiled in a recent issue: the fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant.

The four-time NBA champion put up a tweet in reaction to the shooting which drew mixed reactions. James deleted that tweet but put up a new one.

“I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because it's being used to create more hate. This isn’t about one officer. It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more accountability,” the follow-up post read.

Regardless, James’ response still did not sit well with others. That included Jay Linneman, the owner of Cincinnati, Ohio, bar Linnie’s Pub. He posted on Facebook that anyone who is planning to come to his establishment and watch an NBA game will be disappointed since he will not air them until James is expelled from the league.

“If anyone wants to watch an NBA game, don’t come to Linnie’s Pub,” Linneman stated.

As far as Linneman is concerned, NBA players should just play the game and their opinion doesn’t really matter.

The four-time NBA champion saw the post of the bar owner and fired back with a sarcastic response, saying, “Aww Damn! I was headed there to watch our game tonight and have a drink! Welp.”

James is no stranger to expressing his opinion on various issues. But in this case, the Lakers star is also likely aware that reacting to sensitive matters will not address the ongoing racism in the country. This was perhaps best explained by another athlete, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

“I was going to make a celebratory tweet, but then I was hit with sadness because we are celebrating something that is clear as day,” Osaka wrote after former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd. “The fact that so many injustices occurred to make us hold our breath toward this outcome is really telling.”

As for his return, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that James could be back in action by next week. He has been out for more than a month due to a high ankle sprain.