Spike Lee Explains His Pro-Palestine All-Star Game Outfit
Spike Lee Explains His Pro-Palestine Outfit At All-Star Game With First Ever Israeli-Born Player
NBA All-Star weekend usually gives players and celebrities the opportunity to sit courtside and get fits off, but it’s led to Spike Lee getting called out.
The diehard Knicks fan is always draped in blue and orange at Madison Square Garden, so he made an even bigger statement at Sunday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles, wearing black, green, red, and white in support of Palestine.
He wore a black turtleneck with a white keffiyeh pattern and paired it with a matching bag whose strap featured the Palestinian flag. The flag was seen again embroidered on the left side of his chest, and he finished the look with a red newsboy hat.
(Don’t worry, he managed to sneak in some Knicks pride for All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson with Knicks-themed glasses.)
Lee’s outfit was taken as a political statement given the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But his move was even more controversial because it came on the same night that Portland Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija made history as the first Israeli-born player to participate in the All-Star game.
The award-winning director got word that his attire was deemed divisive, so he hopped on social media to offer Avdija “much respect” and set the record straight.
“There Has Been Some Conjecture About What I Wore To The Games on Saturday and Sunday,” he begins. “The Clothes I Wore are Symbols of My Concern For The Palestinian Children and Civilians, And My Utmost Belief In Human Dignity For All Humankind.”
He adds, “What I Wore Was Not Intended As A Gesture Of Hostility To Jewish People Or To Support Violence Against Anyone, Nor Was It Intended As A Comment On The Significance Of Deni Being An All-Star. There Were 28 NBA Players Chosen To Be In LA This Weekend. I Didn’t Know Them All And Deni Playing For The Portland Trailblazers, A West Coast Team, I Didn’t Know Deni As The First Israeli Born NBA All-Star.”
He ends his message with some major props about Avdija, saying after the game he knows “He can BALL.”
“LIVE AND LEARN. ONWARD AND UPWARD. PEACE AND LOVE. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF,” he ends the message.
See social media’s reactions to Lee’s outfit below, which sparked controversy.
Spike Lee Explains His Pro-Palestine Outfit At All-Star Game With First Ever Israeli-Born Player was originally published on cassiuslife.com
