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Chadwick Boseman Honored At Lakers Game By LeBron James With ‘Wakanda Forever’ Salute

Bruce Haring
·1 min read
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James saluted late actor Chadwick Boseman Saturday night before the start of the Lakers/Portland Trail Blazers playoff game.When James kneeled for the national anthem, he then crossed his arms in the familiar “Wakanda Forever” salute from the Black Panther film, which featured Boseman in the title role. James ended his moment by pointing skyward with his finger at the end of the song.

His gesture came a day after Boseman died of colon cancer at age 43, shocking the world. Boseman had kept his four-year battle with the disease from the public, even as he appeared in a long string of films, including his signature cinematic moment, 2018’s Black Panther, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing film of all-time.

After the game, James talked about the sense of loss he felt upon hearing the news on Boseman. “It actually felt like we had our black superhero and nobody could touch us. To lose that, it’s sad in our community. To lose Black Panther and Mamba (Kobe Bryant) in the same year — 2020 is the sh**tiest year.”

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