Sportswear giant Nike attempted to honor the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr by producing a special sneaker influenced by his life to be worn by LeBron James.
Unfortunately, it appears the sneaker behemoth missed the mark as they took inspiration from some odd and even offensive places before releasing the shoe.
The so-called ‘Honor the King’ colorway of the LeBron 23 sneaker contained some mixed messaging which has garnered derision and scorn from the Black community.
As explained in a video by ESPN’s David Dennis Jr, the silhouette features a mostly teal color with some reflective graphics.
The writer explains that the teal color draws inspiration from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis – the same hotel where King was assassinated in 1968.
‘There are so many other places that you can take colorways from to honor Dr. King,’ Dennis said in a video posted to his social media accounts.
A pair of Nike sneakers is being blasted for a ‘disgraceful’ way to honor Dr Martin Luther King
The shoes color comes from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where King was assasssinated
ESPN’s David Dennis Jr, the son of a Civil Rights leader, called the connection ‘tone deaf’
‘You can take places from Atlanta. You can take Birmingham, Montgomery. What about Washington D.C. where he delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech.
‘The last place that I would think of would be the signage from where he was assassinated.’
Moreover, Dennis – whose father was a Freedom Rider and a Civil Rights leader in Mississippi in the 1960s – believes that the motel’s new purpose doesn’t give Nike’s decision any free pass.
‘Now look, the Lorraine Motel has now been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum, it’s a beautiful museum, I know a lot about it,’ Dennis continued.
‘I was there when it opened, actually, I was four years old. It does a beautiful job of telling the story of Dr King in those last days, and I encourage everybody to go.
‘I do not encourage everybody to feel as though buying a $200 shoe of the signage of the Lorraine Motel is doing anything to honor anybody.
‘It just feels like a tone deaf situation from Nike, from LeBron, from all parties involved.’
Dennis also chided the company for also using the shoe to honor a 51-point performance James had against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008.
‘Because that moment in American history deserves to be in the same space as the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King,’ a sarcastic Dennis said.
The Lorraine Motel has since been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum
The Atlanta-based writer also pointed out that King was in Memphis on the day he was shot to support the rights of sanitation workers. He believes that message contradicts the company’s history of overseas labor practices.
‘Dr Martin Luther King was killed while trying to fight against the dreads of capitalism. There’s nothing more capitalist than slapping Nike on a shoe, on a color that sort of trivializes — not sort of — very much so trivializes one of the most gruesome murders in American history,’ he said.
‘Absolutely disgraceful move from all parties involved. I don’t even know where the money’s going… this is just bad marks all around for everybody involved. Disgraceful, disgusting act and I hope they can figure out some sort of way to right this wrong.’
The sneaker is set to have a wide release to the general public on February 24, according to multiple sources.
