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The biggest NBA story to follow in the second half of the season.
Nike and LeBron James have found themselves at the center of controversy over an unusual and what many on social media called a tone-deaf tribute attempt.
The LeBron XXIII “Honor the King” was inspired by the teal sign of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. The heel has the word “Equality” written on it and is one of 23 colors Nike will release to commemorate moments throughout James’ 23-year NBA career. Specifically, this honors LeBron’s 51-point performance against the Grizzlies in Memphis on MLK Day in 2008.
But as Sandra E. Garcia wrote in the New York Times, “This assassination is a painful chapter in the city’s history, one long overshadowed by the shadow of shame over the city’s role in the national tragedy.”
The Lorraine Motel reopened in 1991 as the National Civil Rights Museum, but Garcia reported that the museum didn’t know about the sneakers until a few days ago.
LeBron James MLK Shoes Reaction
The blowback was immediate. The comments section was flooded with criticism, calling Nike “in bad taste” and “shameful”, with many wondering how the shoe was even approved for release in the first place.
“The fact that this is real shows once again that there aren’t enough Black people in the room at Nike,” ESPN pundit Clinton Yates said in a tweet. “Or maybe they don’t feel empowered enough to speak out. What a shame.”
“I usually expect European brands to make mistakes like this, but I was actually shocked that no one inside Nike understood what a terrible idea this was,” independent sneaker designer Devlin Carter said in an Instagram post. “Of all the dangerous stories that could be told and celebrated about MLK, why would he choose the motel where he was assassinated?”
Many also pointed out that the reason King came to Memphis in the first place was to support sanitation workers who were striking for better wages and working conditions as part of the Poor People’s Campaign.
“Memphis has a lot to offer in this shoe,” The Athletic’s Jason Jones wrote in a column. “Beale Street, music, and barbecue all come to mind as inspiration for the cool details on the shoe.”
ESPN’s David Dennis Jr. added in an Instagram post that Nike and James could have created a colorway inspired by other eventful moments and locations in King’s life, including Atlanta, Montgomery, Birmingham and Washington, D.C., where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
“The last place I can think of is the marker where he was assassinated,” Dennis said. “…It feels like a completely tone-deaf situation from Nike, from LeBron, from everyone involved.”
