BREAKING NEWS – Orlando, Florida – A government watchdog recently tried to post a bold message on giant billboards during he NBA finals about LeBron James’ refusal to speak out against Chinese human-rights abuses, but was rejected by the sign company.
The Virginia-based National Legal and Policy Center was poised to spend “several hundred thousand dollars” on five billboard images showing the superstar with a Chinese flag covering his mouth and the message, “Silence is Violence.”
The billboards were set to be displayed near the entrance to the NBA Bubble near Orlando, Fla., where James’ LA Lakers are battling the Miami Heat for the NBA championship.
But Outfront Media refused to put up the ads. “We cannot accept the ad as it is right now,” wrote the rep for Outfront, adding that the company would only put up the billboards if the NLPC agreed to remove the baller’s image. “The Chinese flag is Ok, and the silence is violence is ok,” he said. “However, due to the fact they have tape over LeBron’s mouth, we do not want to give the appearance that we believe that alone will stop him from saying things which all too often makes him look like a misguided imbecile.”