LeBron James on Monday became the latest celebrity to call out clothing company H&M for a photo featuring a young African-American boy wearing a sweatshirt that read “coolest monkey in the jungle.”
James posted to Instagram an alternate version of the photo in which the same boy wears a crown on his head and shirt. In the caption, James wrote that H&M “got us all wrong,” before continuing that, “We as African Americans will always have to break barriers, prove people wrong and work even harder to prove we belong but guess what, that’s what we love because the benefits at the end of the road are so beautiful!!”
H&M has apologized for the image, but most critics remain unsatisfied. Several prominent celebrities have chimed in, including The Weeknd, who tweeted Monday that he would no longer work with H&M.
woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore… pic.twitter.com/P3023iYzAb
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
It’s no surprise to see LeBron offering his two cents. James has long been willing to speak up about injustice he witnesses, but he seems to be doing so even more often lately. From dissing Donald Trump to supporting Colin Kaepernick to donning “Equality” sneakers to now commenting on the H&M ad, the King is increasingly unafraid to offer his take, even if he knows not everyone will like it.
