Venessa Bryant Calls Out Sheriff For Challenging LeBron James

Vanessa Bryant delivered a very strong message to the Los Angeles County sheriff for challenging Lakers superstar LeBron James. Alex Villanueva asked the four-time NBA champion to match the $200.000 reward offered to anyone who would provide information about the Compton gunman who targeted two deputies.

Kobe Bryant’s wife took to her Instagram stories to share some articles and tweets criticizing Sheriff Villanueva and his deputies over the release of graphic photos of the deadly helicopter crash. Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in the crash over half a year ago.

This reaction happened after the Assosiated Press released Villanueva’s interview in which he criticized elected officials, athlets and civic leaders. According to him, they fanned “the flames of hatred” instead of emphasizing trust in the criminal justice system.

Sheriff Villanueva is challenging LeBron James

Villanueva rejected any claims that the criminal justice system treats African-Americans differently. He noted that his department conducts thorough investigations. Villanueva also challenged LeBron to match the $175,000 reward for any information on the shooter. A private donation of $25,000 increased the initial reward.

‘”How can he talk about trusting the system? His sheriff’s department couldn’t be trusted to secure Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash scene, his deputies took and shared graphic photos of crash victims. Vanessa Bryant is suing them,” read one of the posts Vanessa shared.

Kobe’s wife also shared an article by The Hollywood Reporter about the lawsuit filed by the union for deputies of the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Another screenshot from a post on lakernation.com contains an article from a LA Times article.

Kobe’s wife filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in May, accusing deputies of taking and sharing photos of the victims.

The complaint suggests that one deputy showed a picture of the scene to impress a woman at a bar.

“Mrs. Bryant has suffered an immense tragedy by losing her husband and daughter; her grief has been compounded by the severe emotional distress caused by the sheriff’s deputies’ misconduct and the Sheriff’s Department’s mishandling of that misconduct,” court papers read.

On Monday, Villanueva appealed to King James to match the reward.

“This challenge is to Lebron James. I want you to match that and double that reward,” he said on KABC Radio, on the John Phillips Show. “I know you care about law enforcement. You expressed a very interesting statement about your perspective on race relations and on officer-involved shootings and the impact that it has on the African-American community. And I appreciated that. But likewise, we need to appreciate that respect for life goes across all professions.”