LeBron James stood by the remarks he made earlier in the week about Memphis, reiterating his stance following the Lakers’ Saturday practice at Southern Methodist University.
When asked if he wanted to clarify his comments from an appearance on the “Bob Does Sports” show, where he suggested the Grizzlies could relocate to Nashville, James emphasized that Memphis wasn’t the only city he had in mind.
“I said Milwaukee as well,” the Lakers forward said. “I’m 41 years old, there’s two cities I do not like playing in right now: that’s Milwaukee and that’s Memphis. I don’t like going home either, s–t, and I’m from there. People are ridiculous. They also get mad at my son being on the team, too.”
During that YouTube appearance, James had been discussing the physical toll of travel late in his career and didn’t hold back when describing certain road trips.
“A random f—ing Tuesday in Milwaukee, staying at the f—ing Hyatt at 41 years old; you think I want to do that s–t?,” James said on the show. “Being in Memphis on a f—ing random ass Thursday? I’m not even, like, the first guy to talk about it in the NBA. We’re all, like, ‘You guys have to move.’ Just go over to Nashville. You’ve got Vanderbilt over there. You’ve got the f—king NASCAR. You’ve got a stadium. Don’t they got a hockey team, too? They’ve got everything.”
The remarks drew criticism, particularly from people in Memphis, with some pointing to the city’s cultural identity and demographics. James pushed back on that interpretation of his comments.
“Did I say I don’t like Black people? No,” James said. He added: “I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? People need to chill the hell out.”
Memphis mayor Paul Young responded by extending an invitation to James, encouraging him to experience the city firsthand.
“I would welcome the chance to turn your criticism into action in one of the most important cities in the world,” Young wrote in a Facebook post, which also included praise for Memphis from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins. “Come to Memphis and roll around with me for a bit and I will show you some of the culture and powerful investment opportunities in our City. Let’s do something epic in one of the largest majority Black cities in the nation!”
Lakers star LeBron James doubles down on comments about Memphis pic.twitter.com/Gqf3MsRyma
— New York Post (@nypost) April 4, 2026