{"id":2421728,"date":"2025-04-09T15:57:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T19:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lebron-james-becomes-mattels-first-male-athlete-kenbassador\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T16:02:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T20:02:25","slug":"lebron-james-becomes-mattels-first-male-athlete-kenbassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lebron-james-becomes-mattels-first-male-athlete-kenbassador\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James becomes Mattel\u2019s first male athlete \u2018Kenbassador\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flebron-james-becomes-mattels-first-male-athlete-kenbassador%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2421728&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Mattel has announced the launch of its first male athlete Barbie doll,modeled after NBA superstar LeBron James,who will serve as the brand&#8217;s inaugural &#8220;Kenbassador.&#8221; This new doll is part of a series that aims to introduce more male athlete dolls, following last year&#8217;s accomplished collection of female athlete dolls. LeBron&#8217;s doll features a blue and white letterman\u2019s jacket, distinct accessories like Beats headphones and Nike sneakers, and carries messages that celebrate his roots and community influence.<\/p>\n<p>James expressed pride in being a role model and emphasized the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/employment-growth-unexpectedly-picks-up-with-336000-jobs-added-in-september\/\" title=\"Surprising surge in employment as 336,000 jobs added in September.\">positive figures<\/a> for youth. The doll is priced at $75 and will be available for purchase starting Monday. Despite this accolade, James has faced criticism for past actions that some interpret as a lack of patriotic sentiment. Mattel aims to honor his contributions to culture and inspire future generations through this new doll.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">LeBron James becomes Mattel&rsquo;s first male athlete &lsquo;Kenbassador&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2087070\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2959888\/mattel-launching-new-version-of-scrabble\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Mattel\">Mattel<\/a> unveiled its first male athlete Barbie doll modeled after NBA player<a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> LeBron James<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>It is the first in a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">planned athlete dolls<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.mattel.com\/news\/barbie-debuts-lebron-james-doll-marking-the-brands-first-kenbassador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">toy company calls<\/a> &ldquo;Kenbassadors.&rdquo; Last year, Barbie had nine dolls modeled after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-times-transgender-athletes-dominated-womens-sports\/\" title=\"5 Times Transgender Athletes Dominated Women\u2019s Sports\">female athletes<\/a>, but James is the first in this year&rsquo;s series. His doll is dressed in a blue and white <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paul-newman-at-100-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Paul Newman at 100 - Washington Examiner\">letterman&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s jacket, without any nod to his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3375141\/supreme-court-corrects-lower-court-overreach\/\">Supreme Court corrects lower court overreach against Trump&#8217;s presidential powers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3375486\/appeals-court-trump-resume-mass-firings-probationary-workers\/\">Appeals court clears path for Trump to resume mass firings of probationary workers&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3375480\/trump-shows-durability-approval-rating\/\">Trump shows &lsquo;durability&rsquo; that was missing in first term<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;As a young kid, I was fortunate to have role models who not only inspired me but also showed me what&rsquo;s possible through hard work and dedication,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;Now, as an adult, I understand how vital it is for young people to have positive figures to look up to. That&rsquo;s why partnering with Barbie to release the LeBron James Kenbassadors doll is such an honor. It&rsquo;s an opportunity to recognize the powerful impact of role models who instill confidence, inspire dreams, and show kids that they, too, can achieve greatness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This $75 doll comes with a belt bag, sunglasses, a hat, a perennial &ldquo;I Promise&rdquo; band, Beats headphones, and Nike sneakers. The letterman&rsquo;s jacket is emblazoned with an &ldquo;LJ&rdquo; and his last name on the back with the phrase &ldquo;Just a kid from Akron,&rdquo; a reference to his hometown in Ohio. James&rsquo;s shirt underneath is printed with the phrase: &ldquo;We Are Family&rdquo; in a reference to the James Family Foundation, his nonprofit organization that helps fund educational efforts across Akron schools.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are excited to bring fans a new presentation of Ken that celebrates LeBron as a role model, his icon status, lasting impact on culture, and dedication to setting a positive example for the next generation to reach their limitless potential,&rdquo; Mattel global head of dolls Krista Berger said.<\/p>\n<p>However, James has previously demonstrated a lack of pride in his own country, most recently sitting out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2595329\/lebron-james-benches-himself-during-national-anthem-at-sons-college-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"national anthem\">national anthem<\/a> during his son&rsquo;s basketball game in 2023. When WNBA star Brittany Griner was slated to return to the United States after being jailed in Russia for over a year, James <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2206765\/watch-lebron-james-suggests-captive-wnba-star-reconsider-coming-back-to-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"suggested\">suggested<\/a> she find another country of residence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3373861\/menendez-brothers-los-angeles-district-attorney-wont-resentence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>LA DA WON&rsquo;T RESENTENCE MENENDEZ BROTHERS UNTIL THEY GIVE UP &lsquo;LIE&rsquo; ABOUT PARENTS&rsquo; MURDER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mattel, a company that began in Los Angeles, has long paid homage to U.S. history with various dolls dedicated to the American Revolution and more historical figures. The company also totes the American Girl dolls in its portfolio.<\/p>\n<p>James&rsquo;s doll will go on sale Monday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2087070\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2087070\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeBron James is Mattel&#8217;s first male athlete &#8216;Kenbassador.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2631,"featured_media":2421729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LeBron-James-Barbie.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[53147,53145,32997,53146,18640],"class_list":["post-2421728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-brand-ambassador","tag-kenbassador","tag-lebron-james","tag-male-athlete","tag-mattel"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LeBron-James-Barbie.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421728"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2421732,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421728\/revisions\/2421732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2421729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2421728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}