LeBron James Calls Out ‘Suppression’ After His Photo & Quote Used In Conservative Ad That Warns Voters About Mail-In Ballots

LeBron James

LeBron James Calls Out ‘Suppression’ After His Photo & Quote Used In Conservative Ad That Warns Voters About Mail-In Ballots

As the conversation and controversy of mail-in ballots continue, one conservative group is being slammed for using LeBron James’s image and a misleading quote in a social media advertisement.

Nonprofit Freedom Works, which is helping President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, has promoted the Protect My Vote website, which tells voters that mail-in ballots could lead to

“lost votes and lost rights.”

A Facebook page connected to the organization has also bought more than 150 ads, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views within the last month as they warn voters that mail-in ballots aren’t reliable.

LeBron James was thrown into the mix when a number of paid posts showed his picture and a quote from the Los Angeles Laker where he called out

“systemic racism and oppression.”

The ad reportedly made it look like he was condemning mail-in ballots, but he really wasn’t, according to The Washington Post. In fact, one of his advisers, Adam Mendelsohn, labeled the ads as “shameless” and “reprehensible.” He also said that lawyers have also gotten involved.

The Communications Director for FreedomWorks, Peter Vicnenzi, denied that it was one of the organization’s ads and instead said a “partner group” created the website and pushed out the ads. He said of the LeBron James ad:

“Election security is one of our issues. That’s not our ad.”

LeBron James isn’t staying quiet either as he reacted to the ad on Twitter Friday (Aug. 21), and explained the importance of his voter awareness organization, More Than A Vote.

“First of all, Everyone needs to know the kind of BS happening about this election and get organized. This is exactly why we coming together for@morethanavote misinformation=suppression!”

He continued,

“Secondly, Nobody should be able to use my name (or anyone else name) to lie and deceive about the election. Not sure what we can do legally but definitely trying to figure it out! #StayWoke #LoveMyPeople”

James previously said of More Than A Vote:

“I’m inspired by the likes of Muhammad Ali, I’m inspired by the Bill Russells and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, the Oscar Robertsons — those guys who stood when the times were even way worse than they are today. Hopefully, someday down the line, people will recognize me not only for the way I approached the game of basketball, but the way I approached life as an African-American man.”

“Yes, we want you to go out and vote, but we’re also going to give you the tutorial. We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”

Athletes and entertainers like Skylar Diggins, Draymond Green, Jalen Rose, Trae Young and Kevin Hart are said to be linked to the initiative.

What are your thoughts on the LeBron ad? Comment and let us know!