LeBron James speaks out against gun violence as LA Lakers pay tribute to California mass shooting victims

The Los Angeles Lakers have paid tribute to the victims of last week's mass shooting in California.

12 people were shot dead on Wednesday at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks by ex-marine Ian David Long who fatally shot himself at the scene.

The LA Lakers and opposition team Atlanta Hawks had a clear statement on Sunday in the wake of the shooting: “Enough”.

Both teams wore shirts with the names of the victims – an action also taken by the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Speaking after the match, LeBron James told reporters about the importance of making a stand.

“I think it’s about recognising about what’s going on in society and for us to be so close to this situation, not being too far away,” he said.

“When I was younger, we didn’t really have to worry about gun violence too much. If you had a problem with somebody you kind of fist it out and move on. Now it’s like people are shooting it out and don’t even have a problem with somebody, they just have a problem with themselves or a problem with a situation that they’re in.”

“How can you feel comfortable sending your kids to school, or church, or to the movies or to the mall? Those were kind of like the great havens when I was growing up ... it’s kind of scary at this point in time.”

Authorities have yet to determine a motive and are exploring all possibilities.

Among them is whether Long believed a former girlfriend might have been at the bar, which was filled with about 150 people on its popular college night that attracts students from several nearby schools.