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The Sermon In LeBron James’ Controversial Nike Ad Isn’t Real

The Sermon In LeBron James’ Controversial Nike Ad Isn’t Real

Last night , LeBron James became the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, surpassing a record set by Kareem Abdul Jabbar nearly 40 years ago.

To celebrate, Nike released a video highlighting James’ career, full of clips and images of James with an, um, inspirational message over it. Listen for yourself:

Notice anything? The whole ad feels a bit… blasphemous. The spiritual language, the Gospel choir, the elevation of his name as greater among anyone else. It’s clear that Nike had specific message they’re trying to get across.

And a lot of people noticed. Fans on Twitter were quick to call out Nike for treating James like God (while still giving James a bit of praise).

Many were specifically upset that Nike took a sermon about God and made it about a man.

But it turns out, Nike didn’t actually steal anything.

Alonzo Chadwick, the voice behind the “sermon,” set the record straight on Twitter: He recorded the whole thing specifically for the commercial.

Does that make it any better?

 

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