Super Bowl LIII is almost here — and it seems like LeBron James is using the big game to make a statement.
Ahead of his team’s match-up with the Golden State Warriors tonight, King James sported a black Colin Kaepernick jersey with a sweatsuit and sneakers. The Nike-sponsored NBA star has repeatedly expressed his support for Kaepernick since the Swoosh released its 30th anniversary campaign starring the former San Francisco 49er.
The NBA all-time great joined a chorus of celebrities who voiced support for Kaepernick, who was ousted from the NFL after leading a kneeling movement against police brutality.
James has criticized the NFL’s treatment of players going beyond the ex-quarterback.
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“In the NFL, they got a bunch of old white men owning teams, and they got that slave mentality,” James said in a December episode of HBO’s “The Shop.” “And it’s like, ‘This is my team. You do what the f**k I tell y’all to do or we get rid of y’all.‘
Meanwhile, Warriors’ star Kevin Durant stepped out in a Kaepernick jersey on Thursday night. Durant — who has a shoe deal of his own with Nike — paired the jersey with a jean jacket, sneakers and a Chicago White Sox hat.
Entertainer Trey Songz has also thrown on the ex-49er’s jersey.
Despite the Kaepernick controversy, the National Retail Federation reports that 72 percent of American consumers are expected to watch the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots square off tomorrow, down just 4 percent from last year. Consumers said they were planning to spend an average of $81.30 for game day, which is roughly the same as last year’s $81.17.
