The Idaho cop who raised $500,000 after mocking LeBron James' tweets about Ma'Khia Bryant says he has been given a book deal

• An Idaho cop who mocked LeBron James over tweets about Ma'Khia Bryant said he's signed a book deal.
• Nate Silvester has also had over $500,000 donated to him through a fundraiser.
• Silvester was suspended after mocking James' reaction to the police killing of Bryant in Ohio.

An Idaho police officer who was suspended without pay for mocking LeBron James over his comments about the police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant has signed a book deal.

Deputy Marshal Nate Silvester has also had over $500,000 donated to him through a fundraiser set up by a friend.

Silvester went viral after posting a TikTok on April 24 in which he pretended to receive a phone call from James, who was giving the officer advice on how to respond to an incident in which one Black man was attacking another with a knife.

"What do you think I should do?" Silvester asked the basketball player in the skit. "Deadly force is completely justified."

After pretending to hear James' response, Silvester said, "So you don't care if a Black person kills another Black person, but you do care if a white cop kills a Black person even if he's doing it to save the life of another Black person?"

The video, which has racked up over 5.5 million views, was a clear reference to Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl who was fatally shot by officer Nicholas Reardon during a violent altercation in Columbus, Ohio, on April 21.

Bodycam footage of the incident appeared to show Bryant lunging at another girl with a knife before she was shot.

After the incident came to light, James tweeted a photo of Reardon alongside the words "YOU'RE NEXT" and "ACCOUNTABILITY."

James seemed to suggest that Reardon should face prosecution for his actions, the way Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, did for the murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of Floyd just half an hour before Bryant's shooting.

James later deleted his tweets about Reardon, saying they were being used to create more hate.

In a new TikTok posted on Wednesday, Silvester said he had been suspended for one week, during which time he had signed a book deal.

"I signed a book deal yesterday, the working title of which is 'Never Off Duty,'" Silvester said.

He added that he has now returned to work.

KTVB-TV, a news station in Idaho, reported that Silvester's book deal is with Di Angelo Publications.

"The whole point of my TikTok account is to humanize the badge and help shed a positive light on law enforcement that a lot of people don't get to see.

"This book is going to further that cause and help educate people like LeBron James and others, who have a very limited understanding of the work that they do."

Silvester also said in the video that the money raised for him would be going to a "good cause."

An excerpt from the GoFundMe page for Silvester said, "Nate plans to give back to the police community at large, including the First Responder Children's Foundation."

The Bellevue Marshal's Office said in a statement on Tuesday that it did not agree with Silvester's video, adding that the issue was being "dealt with internally."

"The Bellevue Marshal's Office is aware of the extreme controversy regarding Deputy Marshal Silvester's viral TikTok," it said.

It continued: "The statements made do NOT represent the Bellevue Marshal's Office. The Bellevue Marshal's Office always demands that our Deputies engage with our citizens in a friendly and professional manner.

"This is NOT how we expect our Deputies to act on duty or use city time."