Lakers star LeBron James is ready to continue the conversation around social issues as he shared how they continue to affect him on the court. 

During the debut episode of HBO's "The Shop," which features unscripted discussion among athletes and entertainers, James opened up about some of the challenges he faces and why he isn't willing to back down from speaking out on issues important to him.

"I want the satisfaction. Not for myself, but for everybody else. I was raised off of [rappers] Snoop [Dogg] and [Tupac] and [Jay-Z] and Biggie [Smalls], and now I get an opportunity to be the inspiration around what all of these kids are looking up to? And for me to just sit back and not say s—  when a lot of my peers didn't say s—? It didn't feel right," James explained, via ESPN.

"At the end of the day, when I decided I was going to start speaking up and not giving a f—  about the backlash or if it affects me, my whole mindset was it's not about me," James added. "My popularity went down. But at the end of the day, my truth to so many different kids and so many different people was broader than me personally."

James went on to make a comparison between the NBA and NFL, pointing to how black athletes are treated differently. He used an example of athletes taking a photo with a fan and said the reaction to a black athlete refusing to take a picture would be vastly different than a white athlete not agreeing to the same request. 

"I believe if the greatest quarterback in the world, he's a white quarterback, if it's [Tom] Brady, if it's [Aaron] Rodgers, if it's [Peyton] Manning. And we're doing the same s—, the same exact s— [refusing to take a picture with a fan]. I'm talking about the phone is on. We're like, 'Yo, get that f—ing phone out of my face. I'm with my family.' If we're out with our family and we say that s—, and somebody posts it, and if Aaron Rodgers or one of those guys say that s—, and they post it, somebody's going to be like, 'Hey, you guys should respect Aaron Rodgers.'"

The first episode of "The Shop" aired Tuesday and featured discussions from Warriors forward Draymond Green, Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and Eagles defensive lineman Michael Bennett, among others.