LeBron James says he used the n-word vandalism incident at his Brentwood home to warn his children about racism ... revealing he turned the hate crime into a teachable moment.
We broke the story ... a racial slur was spray-painted on the front gate of LeBron's L.A. home on May 31.
In an interview with GQ, LBJ discussed the incident that happened in "one of the best f***ing neighborhoods in America" ... saying, "True colors will show, and it showed for me during the playoffs."
James says he talked to his children about what happened, and made an effort to turn the situation into a positive. He says ... "I let them know this is what it is, this is how it's going to be. When it's time for y'all to fly, you'll have to understand that."
"When y'all go out in public and y'all start driving or y'all start moving around, be respectful to cops, as much as you can. When you get pulled over, call your mom or dad, put it on speakerphone, and put your phone underneath the seat. But be respectful the whole time."
There's a lot more to the feature ... Bron talks about his future in Cleveland, whether he'd consider running for president, and the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's infamous letter.