Shortly after the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was announced, LeBron James offered his reaction to the Minnesota jury’s decision.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May. He faces a 40-year maximum sentence for second-degree murder, a 25-year max sentence for third-degree murder and a 10-year maximum for the manslaughter charge.
James was outspoken about his feelings in the wake of Floyd’s death and has been a major part of the NBA’s social justice efforts on and off the court. Today, he had a simple, one-word reaction to the news of Chauvin getting convicted.
“Accountability,” was all James tweeted in all caps.
Throughout the NBA, James wasn’t alone in voicing his satisfaction with the verdict. League commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA director Michele Roberts released a joint statement shortly after the news broke.
“George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served,” the statement read. “But we also recognize that here is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing.”
Various individual NBA franchises, like the Minnesota Timberwolves, have already put out statements.