Chardae Slater, 24, a Kent State University art student, talks about painting the LeBron James “Space Jam” mural on West Market and North Valley Street on Wednesday July 21, 2021. The painting was Slater’s first attempt at a mural.
Mural 1
The LeBron James hate has always been abundant, but a vandal in James’ hometown of Akron defaces a mural dedicated to the “Space Jam” star.
LeBron has always been the talk of the town no matter what the topic of conversation is. From what he’s doing on the court, off the court, at his son’s basketball games, or on instagram, he will bring the commentary.
From “LeChoke,” to “LeBum,” to “Disney Rings,” the names are absolutely endless with the LeBron slander, it has to contribute to a good 40% of replies in any tweets relating to the Lakers star. Pickswise did a study that resulted in James being the most trolled athlete in the world by a wide margin… what a feat…
Luckily, it’s all talk and never gets to the point where they take the trolling in person. Or do they?
A mural dedicated to LeBron and his debut in the “Space Jam” sequel fell victim to trolls in his own hometown
Unfortunately, they do.
A mural was erected in Akron, Ohio, LeBron’s hometown. The art piece was created by Chardae Slater, who told the Akron Beacon Journal that there were no existing murals or artistic dedications to the Akron native in his stomping grounds. The mural could only last all of a week and some change before someone spray painted a red nose and “La Flop” on the mural.
The reviews were overwhelmingly negative on the unwanted additions, to the point that it really makes you wonder: Is it for hate? Or for clout? What would possess anyone to deface a mural of a person. Especially for something that was created with the intention of nothing but positivity to a kid from Akron who did so much for Cleveland in ways that can’t be replicated.
One thing that really gets to me is how this affects Slater, who simply wanted to do something good for her city. This goes beyond jersey burning, name calling and heckling at a game. Misery loves company and whoever defaced the mural must have a great friend right now.