LeBron has jokes, too. Sixers star fires back at Anthony Edwards and ‘the stripes’ after jab about his aging knees.
James responded to Edwards’ Adidas commercial on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast: ‘I don’t watch anything from the stripes.’
The 76ers don’t start the regular season for another week, but LeBron James is already getting his reps in and blocking shots off the court as well.
In a recent commercial skit for his Anthony Edwards 3 shoes with Adidas, Edwards, a Minnesota Timberwolves star, took jabs at players around the league, including James, fellow Sixer Jaylen Brown, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, and even his own teammate, LaMelo Ball.
The September advertisement first poked fun at James and his decision to go to the Sixers. The 25-year-old Edwards cited James’ 41-year-old knees as the reason he didn’t join take his talents to Minnesota, because “his knees couldn’t handle the cold weather.”
On Tuesday’s episode of James’ Mind the Game podcast, cohost Steve Nash brought up the commercial, inciting a laugh from James, who, along with Nash, called out the writing for that joke.
“I went to Philly, Ant,” James said. “It’s not like my knees are going to be warmer in Philly.”
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James, who is no stranger to jokes, memes, and everything else that comes with being among the game’s most famous players and one of the all-time greats, is welcoming the jabs.
“Bring them at me,” James said. “I’m used to it.”
Nash said that if anyone has the personality to make jokes like that at the expense of James — and others — it’s Edwards, who is known for his confidence and unfiltered nature. James and Edwards played for Team USA together at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
And although James said he loves “Ant to death,” he wasn’t afraid to fire some shots of his own back toward Timberwolves guard, accusing him of just reading off a teleprompter for an ad that “wasn’t good.”
However, the old man jokes, the writing, and Edwards’ delivery likely weren’t the real reason James, a Nike partner, wasn’t a fan of the Adidas ad.
“First of all, I did not watch the spot,” James said. “Because I don’t watch anything from the stripes.”
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“The stripes” is a reference to Adidas’ iconic three-stripe branding and triangle-like logo. James has been representing the Nike “swoosh” since 2003, when he signed a seven-year, $90 million deal with the company before ever playing an NBA game. After 12 years of partnership, James signed a lifetime contract with Nike in December 2015, which was the largest single-athlete guarantee in Nike’s history, estimated to be worth $1 billion. James also has his own signature shoes with the brand.
James and Edwards — and their respective shoes — will face off on the court on Jan. 16 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
After an exciting Sixers offseason highlighted by the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, join Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Chris Hine for a preview of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
