Brick? New LeBron James XXIII sneakers inspired by site of MLK’s murder spark debate
In professional sports — particularly the NBA — the use of the name, image and likeness of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has become increasingly commonplace, often framed as a tribute to his legacy and the civil rights struggles that helped make modern professional athletics possible.
On Monday, the Atlanta Hawks announced plans to bring back their popular black and gold City Edition uniform, first released during the 2020—21 season.
The design was notable at the time for featuring King’s initials prominently across the chest, the first time an individual’s initials appeared on an official NBA game uniform.
Most such tributes have focused squarely on King’s life and legacy.
But Nike, one day after the annual federal holiday honoring King, announced plans to release a special “Honor the King” edition of the LeBron XXIII basketball shoe that, unlike previous efforts, has drawn attention for its visual references to the site of King’s assassination.
The sneaker, part of the LeBron James signature line, features a teal color palette inspired by the exterior of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where King was assassinated in 1968. The motel, a central site in civil rights history, reopened in 1991 as the National Civil Rights Museum.
James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, quietly debuted the shoes during a Jan. 2 game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Nike has said the release is part of a broader series marking James’s 23rd season in the NBA.
“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,” John Jowers, Nike’s vice president for communications, said in an interview with The New York Times. “I think the intent, though, was really to pay homage to Dr. King, his life and his legacy.”
The announcement of the shoe has drawn backlash across social media and throughout the influential sneaker community.
David Dennis Jr., a senior writer at Andscape and the author of “The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride,” called the move “tone deaf,” and wrote on an X post: “The Air Assassination Sites are a no from me dawg.”
“There are so many other places that you can take colorways to honor Dr. King,” Dennis said in an Instagram post. “You can take places from Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery. 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.”
ESPN’s Clinton Yates called the shoes “a disgrace.”
“The fact that this is real indicates, yet again, that not enough Black folks are in enough rooms at Nike,” Yates wrote on X. “Or that they don’t feel empowered enough to speak up.”
But within the local sneaker community, some industry observers have urged caution.
Sneaker influencer, K.O., from the community-focused online group Addicted to All Things Fresh, said he had deliberately taken a wait-and-see approach after images of the shoe surfaced online.
“I’m waiting to see the actual back history and allowing the shoe to roll out before even speaking on it,” said K.O., who in 2024 played a key role in Atlanta getting its own Air Max sneaker, the Air Max ’95 Atlanta.
He noted that James regularly wears unreleased colorways during games without their meaning being publicly explained.
The conversation around the shoe has unfolded as members of the King family and institutions tied to his legacy have continued to mark the holiday through public events.
Gloria James, LeBron James’s mother and a vice president of the LeBron James Family Foundation, was in Atlanta over the weekend to accept a Martin Luther King Jr. Community Award on her son’s behalf at a King-related event.
Speaking during the ceremony, she emphasized that her son has long viewed his off-court community work as central to his legacy, beginning in Akron, Ohio, and extending nationally and internationally through initiatives like the I PROMISE School and related family support programs.
Representatives for the King Estate pointed to a statement issued last week — before the sneaker became a subject of broader public debate — praising James and Nike for recognizing King’s impact on sports and society.
The estate said it was “refreshing” to see King-inspired work connected to the LeBron James Family Foundation and its focus on education and opportunity.
Bernice A. King, the chief executive of the King Center and King’s youngest daughter, was unavailable for comment.
Nike has not announced an official release date, though the shoes are expected to retail for $210 in adult sizes on Nike’s website and at select retailers.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
