LeBron James stood by his comments about disliking Memphis, Tennessee, but denied that his opinion has anything to do with the city’s Black residents.
The Los Angeles Lakers small forward was a guest on the April 2 episode of YouTube series Bob Does Sports, where he blasted Bluff City as being one of the places he likes the least. LeBron also wants the Memphis Grizzlies team to be permanently moved to Nashville. The professional basketball player also expressed a dislike for Milwaukee.
“You think I want to do that being in Memphis on a random ass Thursday? I'm not like the first guy even talk about in NBA,” he said around the 10-minute mark of the video below. “You guys have to move. Let's go over to Nashville. You’ve got Vanderbilt over there. You’ve got the NASCAR. You’ve got a stadium. Don't they got a hockey team, too?”
LeBron was swiftly criticized on social media for the remarks, with many perceiving it as an attack towards a largely-Black populated city. The NBA star was also deemed hypocritical after releasing a Nike LeBron 23 sneaker in dedication to Dr. Martin Luther King, which also memorialized Memphis’ Lorraine Motel, where he was slain in 1968.
LeBron finally addressed the backlash while at practice during a quick chat with ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin. “I said Milwaukee as well,” LeBron said. “Did I say I don’t like Black people? I’m 41 years old. There’s two cities I do not like playing in right now: that’s Milwaukee and that’s Memphis.”
“What is the problem with that?” he asked. “I don’t like going home either, shit. And I’m from there.”
LeBron also pointed out the criticism of his oldest child, Bronny, who’s under contract with the Lakers, making him and LeBron the league’s first father-son duo who’ve played together.
“People need to figure out other ways to put their energy to other things that’s important,” he continued. “Like seriously? I’m not talking about the city, the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Century. What’s wrong with that?”
LeBron ended by saying that his detractors need to “chill the hell out.”
Among those who spoke about LeBron’s remarks was Stephen A. Smith, who’s had tension with the athlete since being confronted by him about Bronny in 2025.
