In the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Nike and LeBron James have found themselves at the center of controversy over an unusual — and what many on social media have called tone deaf — tribute attempt: a shoe in the colorway of the site where Dr. King was assassinated.
The LeBron XXIII ‘Honor the King’ takes inspiration from the teal-colored signage of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Dr. King was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. The word ‘Equality’ is written on the heel and is one of 23 colorways to be released by Nike commemorating moments throughout James’ 23-year NBA career. This one in particular is meant to pay homage to 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, ‘The assassination represents a painful chapter in the history of the city, one long darkened by a shadow of shame over its role in a national tragedy.’
The Lorraine Motel reopened in 1991 as the National Civil Rights Museum, although Garcia reported that the museum did not know about the sneaker until a few days ago.
LeBron James MLK shoe reactions
The blowback was immediate. Comment sections were flooded with criticism calling Nike out as ‘tasteless’ and ‘shameful,’ with many wondering how the shoe got approved for release in the first place.
‘The fact that this is real indicates, yet again, that not enough black folks are in enough rooms at Nike,’ ESPN pundit Clinton Yates said in a tweet. ‘Or that they don’t feel empowered enough to speak up. What a disgrace.’
‘I usually expect missteps like this from European brands, but I’m actually shocked that nobody at Nike couldn’t see how bad of an idea this was,’ independent sneaker designer Devlin Carter wrote in an Instagram post. ‘Of all the dope stories that could be told or celebrated about MLK, why pick the motel he was assassinated at?’
Many also pointed out the reason why Dr. King was in Memphis in the first place: to support sanitation workers who were striking for better wages and working conditions as part of his Poor People’s Campaign.
‘There are plenty of things about Memphis that could be incorporated with the shoe.’ The Athletic’s Jason Jones wrote in a column. ‘Beale Street, music and barbecue all come to mind that would make for cool details on a shoe.’
‘The last place I would think of would be the signage from where he was assassinated,’ Dennis said. ‘… It just feels like a tone-deaf situation from Nike, from LeBron, from all parties involved.’