The United States mourned a surreal and violent assault on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Wednedsay when pro-Trump supporters clashed and stormed the chambers of Congress to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, a leader in the sports community on social justice issues, finally broke his silence on the matter.

James, 36, took to Instagram to post a photo of himself looking downward. The four-time NBA champion captioned the photo with an all-caps “DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?” to start off his reaction to white supremacists and a violent mob attacking the U.S. Capitol.

 

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Supporters of President Donald Trump collided with U.S. Capitol Police and, in some cases, walked right by officers during a demonstration to protest the certification of the result of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, which gave former Vice President Joe Biden enough electoral votes to defeat Trump. What started as a protest turned into a violent scene of the “MAGA” crowd—adorned in pro-Trump clothing, some also carrying Confederate flags—smashed through the U.S. Capitol and entered the building, halting the roll call of approval or potential debate by each state's electoral votes.

LeBron James has long been a critic of President Trump, at one point taking to Twitter to call the 45th president a “bum” after the former New York real estate mogul attempted to disinvite Stephen Curry and the then-champion Golden State Warriors to the White House following the team's decision to forgo the traditional visit to the nation's capital.

One woman, a supporter of President Trump in D.C. for the demonstration against the election result, died from a gunshot wound in her chest by Capitol police. Another man suffered a heart attack from an accidental self-sustained tase.

Many other voices within the NBA have spoken out against the violent insurrection against democracy that took place on Wednesday—just one day after it was announced the Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer who shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake would not suffer criminal charges, by happenstance.

James and the 2020 champion Lakers are poised to make an appearance at the White House, however, once President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office by Jan. 20, 2021. It's unclear exactly when that would be, as the Lakers face the Washington Wizards only once, at home, during the “first half” of the 2020-21 season schedule released by the NBA.