Social media users blasted Nike for “mocking Jesus” after the company posted a tribute to LeBron James containing religious language.
On Tuesday, Nike made a tribute video to their biggest active pitchman, LeBron James, after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. However, the black-and-white video contained music and language of a decidedly religious nature and angered many of those who viewed it online.
“Do we have anyone in the building today willing to testify? Talk to me now; he’s done so much already,” the voice in the video says. We’ve witnessed him do so much already. We’ve heard about the things this man can do already. And we just can’t help but celebrate him. Haters, go ahead and recognize, that when you speak on his name, you’re gonna go higher, higher, higher. So excuse me while I cut a step, ‘cause I can’t help but to honor him. I can’t help but to lift him up. I got one last question for ya. Can I get a witness? Can I get a witness? I said can I get a witness?”
The “Witness” language is not new. During the early stages of James’ career, Nike launched a promotional campaign dubbed WITNESS. However, that campaign had more to do with signage and fewer obvious religious connotations than a preacher screaming into a microphone.
The heavy doses of religion and allusions to Jesus in a tribute video to a basketball player did not go unnoticed by fans on Instagram.
It appears the audio in the ad was not of an actual preacher. Actor Alonzo Chadwick tweeted that he was the voice of the “preacher.”
When asked by a Twitter user whether the lyrics for the sermon were taken from an actual sermon, Chadwick said no.
Still, the ad’s intent was obvious to most who saw it. James and Nike have been linked since 2003, when he left high school to join the NBA.
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