Deleted "YOU'RE NEXT" tweet about the officer in the Ma'Khia Bryant shooting, 2021
LeBron James drew criticism in April 2021 after he posted a photo of Columbus, Ohio, police officer Nicholas Reardon, who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant, with the caption "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY." Critics including US senators said, as reported, that the post could incite violence. James deleted it, saying it was "being used to create more hate."
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Posts officer's photo with "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY" - The Guardian, NBC News and The Washington Post reported that James posted a photo of Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon, who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant on April 20, 2021, with the caption "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY" and an hourglass emoji. Police body-camera video released that week, as reported, showed Bryant swinging a knife at another person before the officer fired. LeBron James deletes tweet on police killing of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant
- Senators Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz accuse him of inciting violence - NBC News and CBS News reported that Senator Tom Cotton wrote that James was "inciting violence against an Ohio police officer" and called the post "disgraceful and dangerous," asking: "Is the NBA okay with this? Is Twitter?" CBS reported that Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News it was a "grossly irresponsible message" that "could certainly be interpreted by some, even, as a call for violence." LeBron James deletes tweet targeting officer in fatal police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant
- Deletes the post, saying it was "being used to create more hate" - NBC News, ESPN and The Washington Post reported that James deleted the tweet and wrote: "I'm so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate - This isn't about one officer. it's about the entire system." In another post he said anger did not help anyone, including himself, adding: "Gathering all the facts and educating does though!" LeBron James explains why he deleted tweet about police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant
- Grand jury declines to indict the officer - CNN, The New York Times and WOSU reported that a Franklin County, Ohio, grand jury declined to indict officer Nicholas Reardon in Ma'Khia Bryant's death. The Ohio attorney general's office said it then published the full state investigative file on the shooting. Attorney General Dave Yost Releases Investigative Documents on Ma'Khia Bryant Shooting