LeBron James and Magic Johnson tweeted messages after support after President Trump attacked Bubba Wallace via Twitter earlier this week.
President Trump thinks Bubba Wallace owes NASCAR an apology, but people from inside and outside the NASCAR world don’t agree.
Earlier this week, President Trump lashed out at Wallace on Twitter, asking if Wallace had apologized to NASCAR after his team reported finding a noose in his garage. The President claimed that the noose was “another HOAX.”
While the noose was not targeted at Bubba Wallace, it was not a hoax or a staged incident, according to the FBI and NASCAR.
After the President’s tweets, Wallace received public support from many within NASCAR, including driver Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty Motorsports co-owner Andrew Murstein. The league released a statement that said in part, “NASCAR continues to stand with Bubba, our competitors and everyone who makes our sport welcoming and inclusive for all racing fans.”
But Wallace also received support from outside of the league, including from some big names in the NBA.
What did LeBron James and Magic Johnson have to say to Bubba Wallace?
LeBron James tweeted his support for Wallace on Monday. After Wallace released a response to President Trump, encouraging people to fight hate with love (even when that hate comes from the President of the United States), James retweeted Wallace’s post and supported the sentiment.
Magic Johnson tweeted the following day, telling Wallace that, “We are all cheering for you.”
Wallace, NASCAR’s only full-time Black driver, has sought to bring changes to the league in light of the anti-racism protests that swept the U.S. a month ago. Wallace has appeared in Black Lives Matter gear, driven a Black Lives Matter car, and requested that NASCAR ban the Confederate flag from events, which the league did.
Change isn’t easy but Wallace is leading the way, one day at a time.