LeBron James calls 2020 the worst year after losing Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant
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NBA superstar LeBron James opens up about his heartbreak over the death of Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant in 2020. /VCG

NBA superstar LeBron James opens up about his heartbreak over the death of Chadwick Boseman and Kobe Bryant in 2020. /VCG

Just eight months after the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, another black icon Chadwick Boseman met his sudden unexpected death. And it weighs heavily on LeBron James, who has endured the pain of losing two role models in quick succession. 

"It actually felt like we finally had our Black superhero, and nobody could touch us. And to lose that, it's sad in our community," observed James after the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers from the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

Boseman died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side. He was 43. The actor was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, but he had never spoken publicly about his diagnosis.

News of Boseman's death sent shockwaves in the sports world as he brilliantly portrayed Major League Baseball legend Jackie Robinson in 2013's movie "42." The Los Angeles Dodgers, Robinson's team, held a moment of silence before the team played the Texas Rangers on Friday. 

Bryant, a longtime idol of James, was killed in California helicopter crash in January along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and all seven other people on board. He was 41 years old. 

"To lose the Black Panther and the Black Mamba in the same year, can all agree that 2020 is the shittiest year — in my 35 years, it's not even a question," James noted.

LeBron James (L4) and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates do the Wakanda salute during a moment of silence to honor the death of actor Chadwick Boseman during the NBA playoffs at Advent Health Arena, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2020. /VCG

LeBron James (L4) and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates do the Wakanda salute during a moment of silence to honor the death of actor Chadwick Boseman during the NBA playoffs at Advent Health Arena, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2020. /VCG

When asked about the restart of the NBA playoffs, James said, "There was some doubt. It is great that we put together a plan. We are going to execute it. That is what we have been able to do the last few days. With solidarity we stood with our brothers from Milwaukee. We stood with them as a league." 

"We had a mission. That mission was lost in translation. When the playoffs started. We were playing every other day. When we are trying to create (social justice) change we can't lose site of what the main thing is. This was an opportunity to take a deep breath."  

"It was the moment to just exhale and say what are we really doing and are we really trying to create change," he added. 

James also admitted he has thought about leaving the "NBA Bubble" in Orlando, Florida where a isolation zone is build at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake to protect its players from the coronavirus pandemic during the playoffs. 

"I have had numerous nights and days, thinking about leaving the bubble. Everyone has. But not because of what has transpired. It crossed my mind for sure," he said.