Former Laker Robert Horry details gut-wrenching conversations with his sons on Jacob Blake shooting, how to interact with police
Former Los Angeles Laker Robert Horry fought back tears Wednesday as he shared raw and emotional conversations he has had with his two young sons on race and policing in America.
Former Los Angeles Laker Robert Horry fought back tears Wednesday as he shared raw and emotional conversations he has had with his two young sons on race and policing in America.
Horry, who now works as an NBA analyst for Spectrum SportsNet, spoke out about the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake after NBA teams -- along with WNBA, MLB and MLS organizations -- decided to strike in an effort to draw more attention to systemic racism in the country.
Horry became emotional as he discussed the conversation he had with his, Christian, about the shooting.
"It's hard to tell your 14-year-old son that I worry about him when he walks out that door. I have a 21-year-old son, I worry about him. 'Cause Black men are endangered species pretty much," he said.
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The longtime NBA forward continued to open up about the difficult talks he has been forced to have with his children as a Black father.
"At the end of the day, I want you coming home to me. If you have to lay down on the ground, and they can kick you, beat you, at least you're gonna go to the hospital and you're gonna come home to me," Horry said while recalling the conversation.
Horry's daughter, Ashlyn, succumbed to a genetic disorder at age 17 in 2011.
"I already lost one child," Horry said. "I don't need to lose another."
He urged people in every community to fight for racial justice.
"This is a problem that's in the world and it has to be solved by the world. Not just the Black people, and it has to be the community, it has to be us to come together and say we have to have some equality in this world and treating everybody like we wanna be treated," he said.
Horry -- who played in the NBA from 1992 to 2008 and won seven champions, including the Lakers' 2000, 2001 and 2002 NBA titles -- was slated to work as an analyst for the Lakers' Game 5 playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. But those plans changed after the Milwaukee Bucks opted out of their playoff game against the Orlando Magic, causing a ripple effect throughout the league and across the professional sports world.
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The NBA will resume gameplay Saturday after the league announced Friday a plan to promote social justice, which includes transforming NBA arenas into voting centers for the 2020 presidential election.
