Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James has said racism will always be a part of America after his Los Angeles home was sprayed with racist graffiti ahead of the first game of the NBA championship.
"As I sit here on the eve of one of the greatest sporting events we have, race and what is going on comes again," James said late Wednesday at a media day.
"Just shows that racism will always be a part of the world, part of America," he said.
"Hate in America, especially for African-Americans, is living every day. It is hidden most days. It is alive every single day."
James, 32, was not at home at the time of the incident and confirmed his family was safe.
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The graffiti, discovered on the front gate of James' multimillion-dollar home in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood, was a racial epithet, according to the Los Angeles Times, which quoted a police officer as saying it had already been painted over.
James and the Cavaliers are in California this week for the first and second games of the best-of-seven NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors. The first game is late Thursday in Oakland.
The Cavaliers will be defending the title, which the team won last year over the Warriors in seven games.
James is the NBA's most prolific play-off scorer and has been named the league's Most Valuable Player four times.
