LeBron James has apologised and insisted he did not intend to hurt anybody after he shared song lyrics on his Instagram account that included the line "getting that Jewish money".
In an Instagram Stories post on Sunday, James quoted the song 'ASMR' by rapper 21 Savage, typing: "We been getting that Jewish money. Everything is Kosher."
The four-time NBA MVP came in for criticism for linking Jewish people with money, a long-standing stereotype considered offensive by many.
After the Los Angeles Lakers' 107-99 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, James, who removed the post from his account, told ESPN. "Apologies, for sure, if I offended anyone.
"That's not why I chose to share that lyric. I always [post lyrics]. That's what I do. I ride in my car, I listen to great music and that was the byproduct of it.
"So, I actually thought it was a compliment and obviously it wasn't through the lens of a lot of people. My apologies. It definitely was not the intent, obviously, to hurt anybody."
Darren Rovell, a reporter for The Action Network, had earlier shared a screenshot of James' post, accompanied by the comment: "Surprised LeBron, who makes very few mistakes, put this out.
"Does quoting lyrics from a song absolve the person quoting from the responsibility behind the words? I’d argue no, especially with a following of 45 million."
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