Is LeBron James hypocritical about slavery by having his shoes made in China? Enes Kanter thinks so


… talked about NFL owners’ “slave mentality”


Three years ago, LeBron James castigated the NFL owners for having a “slavery mentality.” 


However, today he is being chastised by a Turkish-born fellow NBA player for using slave labor to make his $100 a pair Nike shoes. 


Is it hypocritical on his part to do that?


Of course it is. 


First, let’s look at the background.


The slave mentality


James’ comments about slavery occurred almost three years ago,


LeBron James, who has consistently used his platform as one of the most famous men in America to discuss social issues, has said that NFL owners have a “slave mentality”.

The Los Angeles Lakers star made the comments on Friday’s broadcast of his HBO discussion show, The Shop. “In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality,” James said. “And it’s like, ‘This is my team. You do what the #$#$ I tell y’all to do. Or we get rid of y’all.’”

“LeBron James says NFL team owners have ’slave mentality’,” The Guardian, December 22, 2018


Now, however, an NBA center is calling out James for his manufacturing of shoes in China in slave or sweatshops. 


Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter continued to call out Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and athletic shoe behemoth Nike on Thursday. 

Kanter took to social media to allege it was "money over morals" for James, who has a lifetime deal with Nike. Kanter has included the two entities in tweets before saying the company uses slave labor in China and James was complicit in the practice since he wasn't speaking out. 

Enes Kanter

on Thursday

Money over Morals for the “King” 👑 

LeBron James

Sad & disgusting how these athletes pretend they care about social justice.

They really do “shut up & dribble” when Big Boss 🇨🇳 says so....


He included an emoji of the Chinese flag next to "Big Boss," insinuating James and the NBA are tip-toeing around the Chinese government's human rights abuses to maintain the multibillion-dollar relationship. The photos are of shoes displaying the same message artistically. The writing on the toes read "Principals > Money" and "Morals > Money." 

Cassandra Negley, “Enes Kanter takes direct shot at ‘money or morals’ 

LeBron James in stand vs Nike, China,” November 18, 2021 


Is Kanter right?


I had two of my young students who are NBA fans talk about this. Their reaction was similar in one way. “No one in their right mind could turn down a deal like that one with Nike.”


They are right … but so is Kanter. 


More on this later, but it is hypocritical for James and other black athletes to cry about slavery when they are making millions of dollars in sports. 


That does not mean that professional sports do not have injustice. 


They all do. 


However, Kanter talks about morality, and he is right about everything from that perspective. 

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