Nick Wright sets the record straight for everyone who believes LeBron James’ comments about Memphis were a shot at the Black community

Over the years, it has almost become a routine that whenever LeBron James says something, no matter how harmless, people twist it, blow it up and create narratives that never needed to exist.

It has happened in his 23rd year in the league as well, but this time, his supporters have been vocal about media members finding reasons to bash him unfairly.

Especially for Nick Wright, to see someone who has built his entire public identity around uplifting Black community and ideologies face such accusations is beyond embarrassing.

Recently, the four-time MVP casually mentioned that Memphis was one of the cities he dislikes traveling to and expressed his desire to see the Grizzlies franchise being moved to Nashville.

While that should have been the end of the story alone, analysts like Stephen A. Smith considered those remarks to be a dig at the Black community and more notably, James’ former teammates like Kendrick Perkins joined the bandwagon.

Quite clearly, their reaction quickly turned a simple preference for a road city into a racial issue. However, Wright wasn’t going to let any such narratives get built.

Wright defends LeBron

Unlike some legends, be it Michael Jordan, who often stayed neutral in political matters that involved Black people, James has never hesitated to be outspoken.

Whether it means developing a strained relationship with President Donald Trump, publicly supporting Kamala Harris, or building the I Promise School for uplift education in his community, James has consistently used his influence to help Black people and promote their ideologies.

Put simply, nothing about his past, present or track record hints at him being “anti-black,” making the current narrative feel forced or unfair.

That’s why Wright emphasized that LBJ’s comments weren’t about disrespecting the Black population of Memphis; rather, they were simply about the inconvenience he had personally experienced over two decades of traveling there – issues related to the city’s facilities and logistics.

Thus, he reminded everyone how the four-time NBA champion has consistently embraced black figures throughout his career.

“Trying to turn that into, LeBron James, of all people, is anti-Black is either an idiot or a Charlatan. If you were leaning into that, you can decide on your own. Because what LeBron has done for more than 20 years in the public eye, is embrace his community as well, if not better, than any all-time legendary athlete of all time. He had his circle of guys, Rich, Maverick, and Randy and the moment he got put on, he was in consultation with those three guys,” Wright said

“How he could help position them to get to the tops of their fields as quickly as possible and made those people his teammates. Those guys all happen to be black guys. He built schools in Akron for an overwhelmingly black community.”

Related: “White racists versus Black Atlanta” – Jason Whitlock thinks Angel Reese’s trade to the Dream will further ignite rivalry with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever

Wright demands that this trend ends

Lastly, what irks Wright the most is how other NBA personalities are handed freedom to express blunt, direct opinions without facing any heavy backlash. Yet the moment LeBron, who is now 41, expresses something candidly, it becomes a national controversy.

“For folks to twist what he said, like Kevin Durant and a dozen NBA guys have said, ‘We don’t like that Hyatt in Memphis,’ as LeBron doesn’t like black people commentary, is f—ng embarrassing,” Wright concluded.

Perhaps this episode is just another illustration of the kind of pressure media members put James under and the reality is that until LBJ is in the league, every word of his will be dissected.

Related: “He’s LeBron, he makes news, I report on it” – Stephen A. Smith explains why he won’t stop talking about LeBron James

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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