LeBron James Suddenly Backs Out of 2025 Met Gala Despite Being Event’s Honorary Chair

• LeBron James announced that he won’t be attending the 2025 Met Gala due to an injury incurred during the NBA season

• James was set to make his debut at the event, themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” as an honorary chair

• His wife, Savannah James, is still scheduled to walk the star-studded carpet

LeBron James’ first time at the Met Gala will have to wait.

Hours before the red carpet, the athlete, 40, revealed that he is no longer attending due to an injury, despite being an honorary chair of the event.

“Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on! Hate to miss an historical event!” he wrote on X on Monday, May 5.

However, in lieu of his absence, the NBA star said his wife, Savannah, who he called a “beautiful powerful Queen,” will be on the carpet “holding the castle down as she always has done!”

James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 30. It was during that game he “suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain to his left knee,” ESPN reported. Speaking with reporters afterward, James said retirement is something he’d have to talk over with his family and “support group.”

Related: Met Gala 2025: Everything to Know About the Theme, Co-Chairs, Dress Code and More

In October 2024, Vogue announced Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour would be co-chairs for the event. The event, which is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is a fundraiser for the Costume Institute and spotlights the museum’s spring 2025 exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which is the theme for the gala.

Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton shared that the exhibit — which is inspired by guest curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity — explores “the Black dandy as both a concept and an identity signifier.”

The exhibit “presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style from the 18th century to the present through an exploration of the concept of dandyism,” according to a post on the museum’s Instagram.

The Met Gala’s dress code — which is slightly different from the theme — is “Tailored for You.” It is a nod to the exhibition’s focus on menswear and suiting. The gala also has a star-studded host committee: Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, as well as Doechii, Regina King, Spike Lee, Angel Reese and Usher.

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Beyond just his Met Gala debut, the NBA superstar is having a milestone spring so far. Back in April, he was named as Mattel’s very first Kenbassador as the company debuted his own Ken doll — in partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation.

The collectible marked the first Ken doll of a professional athlete, and James even worked alongside the company to add some touches of his own. The doll wears a custom varsity jacket over the LeBron James Family Foundation’s signature We Are Family T-shirt, Nike Terminator High sneakers, Beats headphones, sunglasses, a fanny pack, a watch and his perennial “I Promise” band.

“As a young kid, I was fortunate to have role models who not only inspired me but also showed me what’s possible through hard work and dedication,” James said in a statement at the time. “Now, as an adult, I understand how vital it is for young people to have positive figures to look up to. That’s why partnering with Barbie to release the LeBron James Kenbassadors doll is such an honor.”

He added, “It’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.”

Related: LeBron James’ Relationship with Kobe Bryant Was ‘Always Competitive.’ Then This Happened.

James has long been connected to the fashion world, having launched his first Nike Air Zoom Generation sneakers back in 2003. Since then, the Lakers star has released over 20 models of his signature Nikes in the years to follow.

Nowadays, James is averaging an impressive 24.4 points per game, with his son, Bronny, 20, as a teammate. In January, the NBA star revealed on the New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast that playing with his son is his greatest achievement.

“When it comes to the titles, that’s one separate thing,” James said. “But to be able to play in this league and also being able to do it alongside Bronny right now, that’s one of the biggest accomplishments and probably the No. 1 accomplishment I’ve ever been able to do.”

He added, “To work with your son — I’ve heard it from a lot of people and, not only [in] sports, but I’ve heard it in business and [other] walks of life, and they say it’s the greatest thing you could ever have.”

Catch all the minute-by-minute fashion updates from the 2025 Met Gala red carpet right here! 

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