As LeBron James prepares to defend his NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he's dealing with a racist incident at his home.
Police confirmed they were called to his Los Angeles home after someone spray-painted a racial slur on the gate outside the house.
James told reporters that he hopes what happened can advance the dialogue about racism.
"No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough," James said at a press conference.
James has been outspoken about race relations in America.
James and his Miami Heat teammates wore hoodies in honor of Trayvon Martin, the black teen whose shooting death helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement.
In New York, he warmed up before a game in a shirt reading "I can't breathe," the final words Eric Garner. Garner was choked to death by a New York City police officer using a chokehold, a technique police banned.
Police say the person who vandalized James' property may have been caught on a nearby surveillance camera. The LAPD is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
James wasn't home when his house was vandalized. He and his teammates are in the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors.
