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Tennis Star Gives Apology Over LeBron James Post With Gorilla Emoji

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 08: Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James (23) looks on before a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 8, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)

Matteo Berrettini is denying that he has anything but great feelings for LeBron.

Matteo Berrettini is a superstar on the tennis court, holding seven titles and ranked as a Top 10 player. However, it wasn’t his talents that drew attention recently, but a post about LeBron James that caused Berrettini to be under fire. The Tennis player shared a photo of James wearing a Drew League jersey and added two emojis: a crown and a gorilla.

Of course Social Media was quick to point out the Ape emoji might come off as a bit racist. You can see his post below:

Matteo took to Social Media to apologize for his post.

“I am very sorry if my previous story post offended anyone,” he wrote. “I was informed that it can easily be misinterpreted so I have deleted it. Lebron is my biggest idol. Incredible role model and inspiration.”

Not the first time LeBron has been at the center of controversy. Vogue magazine was accused of using LeBron’s cover feature to mirror a King Kong poster. Social media continues to debate whether or not Berrettini should have apologized, but he did, and hopefully now we can all move on.


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