LeBron James says we cannot let racism 'conquer us as people'

Matchups between the Cavaliers and Warriors always hold special meaning, but Monday's tilt on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday meant a little more to LeBron James.

"The state of racism will never die, but what we cannot do is allow it to conquer us as people," James said Monday, via ESPN.com. "We can't allow it to divide us... The guy in control has given people and racism, and negative racism, an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear. And that's the fearful thing for us because it's with you, and it's around every day, but he's allowed people to come out and just feel confident about doing negative things.

"We can't allow that to stop us from continuing to be together and preach the right word of livin' and lovin' and laughin' and things of that nature. Because would we want to live anywhere else? I don't think so. We love this place."

James has been outspoken in opposition of President Donald Trump in the past, and continued that Monday. He also took time to honor King and the efforts he took to help fight racism and oppression.

"You always hear people saying, 'risking their life,'" James said. "He actually gave up his life for the betterment of all of us to be able to live in a free world and for us to be able to have a voice, for us to go out and be free no matter your skin color, no matter who you are, no matter the height and size and the weight or whatever the case may be, wherever you are, he had a vision and he took a bullet for all of us.

"Literally. In the rawest form that you could say that. He literally took a bullet for us. And for us to stand here even though we're trying to be divided right now by somebody, today is a great day for people to realize how America was built and how we all have to stand united in order to be at one."

While basketball is just a sport, James hopes he uses his platforms in a positive way that King would respect.

"I hope I could make him proud or made him proud," James said. "Just taking what he was able to give to us and give us that type of empowerment, give us that type of strength to be able to go out and talk about things that really matter. Be able to live for something that's more than you as an individual. So hopefully I would be one of those guys that made him proud. Hopefully I'm making him proud still with him looking down on us."