Spike Lee addresses wearing Palestinian colors during NBA All-Star Weekend: ‘Symbols of my concern’

The noted director took to Instagram to clarify his outfit choices, as some online critics believed he wore them in protest of Deni Avdija, an Israeli basketball player who became the first NBA All-Star from Israel selected to play in the game.

Spike Lee has often made an impactful statement through his fashion, as he does with his filmmaking. During NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in Inglewood, California, the director of “Do the Right Thing” made his support for Palestine well known.

On Saturday, he wore a hoodie featuring black-and-white images of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, along with a small bag in the colors of the Palestinian flag. On Sunday, he decided to don a keffiyeh-patterned sweater, with the same bag and Palestine pins on his chest.

The outfits drew ire from several online users, who believed Lee wore them as an affront to Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. Avdija, who is Israeli, became the first Israeli player ever selected to an All-Star Game and was representing Israel as part of Team World. One woman even walked up to Lee’s residence in New York and left an Israeli flag there.

Instead of making the moment about politics, Lee says it was him supporting humanity.

On Instagram Tuesday (Feb. 17), the Brooklyn native posted a selfie of himself in his traditional New York Knicks hat and addressed the issue head-on.

“Much Respect To Deni Avdija, The First Israeli-Born Player In The NBA All-Star Game,” he began. “Congratulations Also To All The Players And The NBA. There Has Been Some Conjecture About What I Wore To The Games on Saturday and Sunday.”

Lee continued, “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. 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 concluded. “He can BALL. NOW I DO KNOW.”

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Lee wasn’t the only noted figure to support Palestine during the NBA’s big weekend. Kyrie Irving, who has not played this season while recovering from an ACL injury, wore a PRESS T-shirt similar to the ones journalists wear in Gaza. More than 300 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

“Dedicated to our beloved journalists in Gaza showing the world the truth,” the tag on Irving’s shirt read, according to witnesses.