Being black in US tough says LeBron James after racist graffiti

NBA superstar LeBron James has talked about the ordeal of suffering racism after the "N-word" was spray painted on to his Los Angeles home.

"No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are... being black in America is tough," he said.

The graffiti was reported to police on Wednesday morning and the Cleveland Cavaliers star responded hours later.

LAPD officials confirmed to the BBC the highly offensive nature of the racial epithet.

Officers are reviewing surveillance footage to try to identify the vandal.

James was speaking from San Francisco, where his team is training ahead of Game 1 of the NBA finals.

"Racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America, and hate in America - especially for African-Americans - is living every day," he said.

He added: "We've got a long way to go for us as a society and us as African-Americans until we feel equal in America."

The vandalism was discovered on James' private gate at about 06:45 local time, said Officer Lillian Preciado.

James purchased the 9,440 sq ft home in 2015 for $21m (£16m) the LA Times reports.

The 32-year-old is ranked as the highest-paid player in the NBA, reportedly earning more than $30m per year.

Last week he became the all-time leading scorer in the play-offs, surpassing Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan's record.