Tennis Star Gives Apology Over LeBron James Post With Gorilla Emoji

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:

See more

HOLD ON WAIT TRIP CANCELED HUH??? CAN SOMEONE PLS TELL HIM TO DELETE THIS WTF??? WHY DID HE USE THET EMOJI pic.twitter.com/7qoiGpdeoN

— niki | ……… (@berrettiniswife) July 17, 2022

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.

---

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!