Disturbing news emerged on the eve of LeBron James playing in his seventh straight NBA Finals. According to TMZ, James’ Los Angeles home was spray painted with the n-word.
The LAPD responded to reports of graffiti on James’ gate. TMZ reported James purchased the home in 2015 but does not use the residence on a regular basis. James spoke with ESPN after news of the incident broke.
“Just shows that racism will always be a part of the world, part of America,” James told ESPN. “Hate in America, especially for African-Americans, is living every day. It is hidden most days. It is alive every single day. I think back to Emmett Till’s mom and the reason she had an open casket, she wanted to show the world what her son went through in terms of a hate crime in America. No matter how much money you have, how famous you are, how much people admire you, being black in America is tough.”
The Fumble posted this video of James $21 million Los Angeles home back in 2015, and the home was the likely target of the vandalism:
James also has a large house in Akron, Ohio. According to Forbes, it is a six bedroom house with eight full bathrooms in addition to six half bathrooms. The Akron mansion has 30,000 square feet.
Here’s an areal view of James’ Akron pad which appears to be on a very lush piece of land in Ohio:
There is this video showing images of a mountain home designed for James by Carlos M. Smith. The specific location of the house is unknown, but it looks like a perfect place to unwind in the off-season.
James sold his Miami home in 2015 after choosing to sign with the Cavs instead of re-signing with the Heat. ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported James sold the Miami home for $13.4 million to Florida real estate investors Timo and Nathalia Kipp. James had originally listed the house at $17 million but continued to drop the price until it sold.
The house was located on the water and had many amenities including a wine cellar along with a home theater.
James spoke with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols about the hate crime: