LeBron James, the basketball icon, has been named the honorary chair of The Met Gala, as announced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Wednesday — but some believe his long-standing association with Diddy should disqualify him from leading the high-profile event.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is currently in federal custody, facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and facilitating prostitution.
NBA champion James, along with other celebrities like Chris Brown and Kevin Hart, have been rumored to attend the controversial "Freak Off" parties hosted by the disgraced hip-hop mogul, according to Derrick Parker, the “Hip Hop Cop” with two decades of experience consulting on rap-related crimes, who spoke to NewsNation's Paula Froelich.
Following revelations that Combs allegedly had females perform sexual acts with male sex workers at his parties, a video of James, 39, resurfaced in which he says, "ain’t no party like a Diddy party."
In the four-year-old clip, taken from an Instagram Live chat, Combs responds, "Yeah that’s whats up!"
James, a father of three who has been married to his high school sweetheart for 38 years, has not yet commented on the controversy.
The upcoming spring gala — titled "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" and set for May — will also feature co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams.
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief and a longtime trustee of The Met who plays a key role in organizing the gala, will also serve as one of the event's co-chairs.
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