LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers may have had the day off in tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, but that didn’t help him escape getting dragged because of his MLK-inspired sneakers.
Suggested Reading
On MLK DAY, James and Nike faced swift backlash after new shoes that paid tribute to King’s work surfaced. However good-intentioned, many felt that the future Hall of Famer totally missed King’s message with sneakers and was just another money-grab.on King Day. For those who are not aware, let’s check out why the sneakers were created.
As one of 23 special designs of the LeBron XXIII, his latest signature shoe, the “Honor the King” colorway was curated to celebrate James’ unprecedented 23rd season in the NBA. Coming in a teal colorway, the shoe’s design is inspired by the color of the signage of the Lorraine Motel, which is now called the National Civil Rights Museum the site of King’s assassination in 1968. Also, the shoes pay homage to a game in 2008 where James scored 51 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Although James rocked the sneakers in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 2, Sandra E. Garcia’s story in the New York Times brought more eyes to the shoes and captured the fans’ disdain when the shoes were viewed online.
“Design is so subjective, and some people the design will resonate with, and others maybe less so, and obviously that becomes a little bit more charged when you have bigger principles at play,” said John Jowers, Nike’s vice president for communications, in the New York Times interview about the blowback. “I think the intent, though, was really to pay homage to Dr. King, his life and his legacy.”
On Black Twitter, many chimed in to give their opinions on the latest move by “King James.”
David A. Dennis, whose father, David Dennis Sr was director of Mississippi’s Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and an organizer of the Freedom Summer of 1964 in Mississippi, expressed his disapproval at the MLK sneaker tribute idea.
“Dr. Martin Luther King was killed while trying to fight through the drudges of capitalism,” Dennis said. “There’s nothing more capitalist than slapping ‘Nike’ on a shoe that trivializes one of the most gruesome murders in American History. Absolutely disgraceful move by all parties involved.”
Dennis, who is also Senior Writer at ESPN’s Andscape, also called into question the principles of capitalism at work.
“Dr. Martin Luther King was killed while trying to fight through the drudges of capitalism,” Dennis continued. “There’s nothing more capitalist than slapping ‘Nike’ on a shoe that trivializes one of the most gruesome murders in American History. Absolutely disgraceful move by all parties involved.”
“I don’t even know where the money is going,” he added. “Capitalism is just going to get us all.”
Nick Young, a former NBA player and co-host of the Gil’s Arena podcast, responded to Dennis’ post with a short but candid reply.
“Man pls stfu,” Young wrote to Dennis.
Clinton Yates, host of Clinton & Friends on ESPN Radio, initially thought the sneakers were a social media joke.
“The fact that this is real indicates, yet again, that not enough Black folks are in enough rooms at Nike,” Yates argued. “Or that they don’t feel empowered enough to speak up. What a disgrace.”
One user called James and Nike “tone-deaf” for the created sneakers that were the same color as the signage of the Lorraine Motel.
“LeBron and Nike are severely tone deaf,” the user’s post read. “Who thought it was smart to honor MLK with sneakers that use the color of the morel he was assassinated at? Everyone is just weird.”
Another user questioned how James and Nike allow the sneakers to see the light of day.
“Lebron had Lorraine hotel colored shoes for MLK day,” the user wrote. “Who okayed that shit? No one thought that through at all, huh??
Interestingly, James, along with Viola Davis and Billie Elish, was honored by the King Center at the annual MLK Jr Beloved Community Awards over the weekend. The four-time NBA champion was recognized for his work with the LeBron James Family Foundation.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.