LeBron James Rocks Kaepernick Shirt To Lakers Game, Here's Why ...

LeBron James clearly wants Colin Kaepernick to know he's got his back ...

Check out the shirt Bron wore to the Lakers preseason game at Staples Center on Thursday -- featuring the name "Kaepernick" on the upper back -- a pretty huge statement from the most famous athlete on the planet.

The shirt is made by Nike -- the company that just featured Colin as the face of its "Just Do It" campaign.

LeBron also has a deal with Nike and praised the company for having the balls to do business with Kap despite some pretty powerful critics ... including the President of the United States.

"I wore a Kaepernick shirt tonight, one, because it's Nike and I'm a Nike guy. And then, two, I support Kap. I've always supported Kap and what he stands for and what he believes in."

It's not the first time LBJ's publicly stepped forward to join Kap's fight ... after Colin received massive blowback for his new Nike deal last month -- Bron stepped up to say he stands "for anybody that believes in a positive attitude and a positive matter."

LeBron also posted pics of the shirt with the caption, "KAEP Drip #MoreThanAnAthlete," on social media late Thursday night.