Lakers President Jeanie Buss Shares Racist Letter From Fan, Calls on White People to “Do Better”

LeBron James voiced his support of Buss's decision to share the letter on his own Instagram

Jeanie Buss Racism
Jeanie Buss attends a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors on November 10, 2019.
Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

On Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day Texas slaves were freed in 1865, Lakers president Jeanie Buss took to Instagram to share a racist letter she received, using it as an opportunity to tell while that “We all must do better” when it comes to racism.

View this post on Instagram

After much thought, I decided to share this letter I received on Monday so that everyone can see the hate is real and living out there. This is happening in our world TODAY. Its real and it exists. To Joe: Did sending this letter make you feel better?  Really all you did was waste your time, and energy and your postage stamp. (But thank you for including your return home address) Why don’t you look in the mirror and see your ugliness because I refuse to. I have received letters like this over the years. The advice I always got? “Ignore it.” I did. But not anymore. On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it. We all must do better. #juneteenth #hatewontwin

A post shared by Jeanie Buss (@jeaniebuss) on

Buss’s post reinforces that, while the letter is abusive, she will not ignore it as she has been told to ignore hateful comments in the past. Instead, she believes that white people need to come to terms with racism and do more to help combat it:

On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it. We all must do better.

The letter, which was written by a man named “Joe” who claims to be a huge Lakers fan, uses both racist and misogynistic language, the former of which Buss redacted before posting it. The letter also tells Buss to “go to hell and join [expletive] Kobe Bryant,” who died in a helicopter crash in January.

Lakers star LeBron James voiced his support of Buss’s decision to share the letter on his own Instagram, posting a story expressing his love for her while also throwing a middle finger emoji at the “Joe” in the letter.

The Lakers had given all of their players Friday off from training for the restarted NBA season, in order to allow them to observe Juneteenth however they saw fit.

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