LeBron James "Space Jam" mural in his hometown vandalized with clown nose
· Jul 30, 2021 · NottheBee.com
@itschardae / Instagram

Some joker(s) vandalized a LeBron James mural in Akron, Ohio, James' hometown!

The mural depicts LeBron James surrounded by several Looney Tunes characters from the new movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy."

The vandal(s) added what can only be described as a spray-painted red clown nose to James' face.

The vandal(s) also spray-painted "LAFLOP" in big red letters across the mural.

The original artist, Chardae Slater, responded to her mural being vandalized via Instagram.

"First thing I'm going to say is this will not stop me!! I saw what happened to my mural and whoever did it should about think it this," Chardae Slater said. "[W]hy would you even take time our of your day to go f*** up what someone else did for the community? Did that make you feel good? I took my time on this.. but you know what? I left my mark. [Whether] it was one of my haters or LeBron's haters, I don't wish harm on [anybody]. I'm still going to keep going and do great things. I hope you know that this is not going to stop me! It's all love."

It must be really upsetting as an artist to see your work maliciously ruined in this way. Evidently, Slater was very happy with her work when she originally posted the mural on her Instagram on July 7.

"[It's crazy] how this is my first mural ever and the first mural of LeBron done in Akron," Slater said. "I am so grateful for the opportunity. Words can't express how thankful and blessed I am.. I'm just glad to be able to dedicate this mural to Akron. The city deserves some art and so do you @kingjames (LeBron James) I hope you love it!! Thank you for inspiring me."

If July 7 was when she completed the mural, it didn't even last a month until it was vandalized.

Slater said she hopes nearby businesses have surveillance footage to help identify the person(s) behind the vandalism. She will work to repair the mural, but she'll basically have to repaint the whole thing.

"It's fixable," Slater said. "I'm trying to keep positive."

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