NBA Stars Join Garner Protest

They don 'I Can't Breathe' shirts before NYC game
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2014 1:47 AM CST
NBA Stars Join Garner Protest
Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, pose with Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James.   (AP Photo/Neilson Barnard, Pool)

As Eric Garner protesters staged a "die-in" outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn last night, players from both the Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers donned T-shirts to show their support. LeBron James was among those wearing an "I Can't Breathe" shirt during a pregame warm-up, referring to Garner's last words, CBS reports. The Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose wore one on Saturday, and after James told reporters he was looking for the same shirt, the Nets' Jarrett Jack supplied them to both teams. James tells ESPN that the shirt is mostly a "shout out to the family," but "as a society we have to do better. We have to be better for one another. It doesn't matter what race you are."

James also met Prince William and his wife, Kate, who were at the game and posed with him for photos. "The stuff you read about, people like them only in books growing up, and to hear that they're coming in town to see me play and they want to see me do what I do best, it's a huge honor," the player tells CBS. Outside the arena, the crowd of protesters cheered when they were told about the shirts being worn by James and other players, including the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving and the Nets' Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams, CNN reports. (More LeBron James stories.)

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