&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Absolutely disgraceful': LeBron James & Nike draw fan ire for new shoes respecting MLK")
American basketball legend and NBA superstart LeBron James is a trending news topic again but not the reasons he would like. In a move that divided the internet and fans, LeBron's new shoes honoring later Martin Luther King are drawing a lot of criticism. The shoes were, in collaboration with Nike, are named Nike LeBron coloway 23 - one of the 23 shoes Nike will launch to highlight 23 important moments from LeBron's career. The latest 'Honor the King' shoes have not been launched yet but the company is expected to go along with it despite the backlash.
Why LeBron's 'Honor the King' shoes are being criticised?
The shoes launched by Nike and LeBron are in teal color- but why is that inviting backlash from fans? The reason is site of MLK's death - Lorraine Motel in Memphis - which was also colored teal during the time of his assassination. Sure, Nike says that the color also relfects LeBron scoring 51 points against the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2008, but that doesn't take away the deeper link about the motel.
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The story blew up after an article in the New York Times by Sandra E. Garcia which covered the fan reaction. John Jowers, Nike’s vice president for communications, was also quoted in the interview by the Times in which he said: “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. I think the intent, though, was really to pay homage to Dr. King, his life and his legacy.”
What are fans saying?
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Commentator David Dennis Jr. talked about it in an Instagram reel and said: “Dr. Martin Luther King was killed while trying to fight through the drudges of capitalism. 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.”
Below are some more fan reactions:
Whatever may be Nike and LeBron's thought behind launching shoes with the same color as Lorraine Motel, it surely wasn't dicussed very well while developing and marketing the product.
