Spike Lee ignites firestorm over pro-Palestine outfit and apology

American filmmaker Spike Lee sparked an online debate twice in one week - first for wearing a pro-Palestine outfit during the NBA All-Star Weekend, and again days later when he issued an apology for his pro-Palestine clothing. 

The renowned director sat courtside at the All-Star Game on Sunday wearing a keffiyeh-patterned sweater and carrying a matching keffiyeh-patterned bag with a strap lined with Palestinian flags.

Lee was gradually outspoken as Israel’s genocide in Gaza progressed, both online and in the film industry.

Lee recently joined as an executive producer for The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated film that recounts the story of the Palestinian child who was assassinated by Israel in Gaza while pleading for rescue and trapped in a car as she was surrounded by dead family members. She was five years old. 

Spike Lee dripped in Palestine at the NBA all-Star 🇵🇸 🏀 ✨ pic.twitter.com/mw1ScQgoSy

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) February 16, 2026

Lee’s outfit sparked waves of both support and condemnation from both sides of the conflict. 

Photos of Lee spread rapidly on Sunday night, with even the official X account for the State of Palestine sharing an image of him.

Some critics took issue with the timing, noting that Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija was on the court, and accused Lee of making a deliberate political statement.

Avdija completed his mandatory military service with the Israeli forces in 2020 at the age of 19, but was not stationed in Israel.

Instead, he fulfilled his service in North America under the Israeli military’s “Exceptional Athlete” programme.

I’ve been to more @nyknicks games than I can count, and I’ve never seen Spike Lee make a statement like this courtside. With Deni Avdija representing @Israel on the All-Star stage, it doesn’t seem to be accidental. He is making a statement, and it’s not a good one.

The NBA… pic.twitter.com/3KABuOwo5a

— Todd Richman (@toddrichman) February 16, 2026

Pro-Palestine figures like journalist Hasan Piker doubled down on his support for Lee’s act of solidarity, saying that not only was Lee’s act of solidarity a “good statement” but “the best statement”.

Pro-Israel activist Lizzy Savetsky was so angered by his outfit that she placed an Israeli flag in his mailbox in New York City. 

In the media, publications like The Hollywood Reporter published an article headlined: Jewish Sports Pride Is Soaring and Even Spike Lee Can’t Bring It Down. 

“... Which is why when he showed up courtside at the Intuit Dome Sunday night wearing a keffiyeh-patterned hoodie, a shoulder bag with the colors of the Palestinian flag and what appeared to be the infamous upside-down red triangle used by Hamas to identify the presence of Israeli soldiers, all seemingly to be in the eyeline of both Avdija and the millions of Jews watching him, it felt like an affront,” writer Steven Zeitchik wrote in the article. 

On Thursday, Lee issued an official apology on his Instagram to Avdija, claiming that he did not know he was Israeli. 

“There Has Been Some Conjecture About What I Wore To The Games on Saturday and Sunday,” Lee wrote in the caption. “The Clothes I Wore are Symbols of My Concern For The Palestinian Children and Civilians, And My Utmost Belief In Human Dignity For All Humankind. What I Wore Was Not Intended As A Gesture Of Hostility To Jewish People Or To Support Violence Against Anyone, Nor Was It Intended As A Comment On The Significance Of Deni Being An All-Star.”

Lee - who is known for being a die-hard New York Knicks fan - continued to say that the Blazers were a west coast team, and he didn’t know many of the 28 athletes that were chosen as All-Stars, including Avdija. 

“I Didn’t Know Deni As The First Israeli Born NBA All-Star. He can BALL. NOW I DO KNOW,” he wrote. 

Middle East Eye reached out to Lee for a comment on his apology, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Pro-Palestine social media users responded to Lee’s apology with messages of disappointment, arguing that it may perpetuate the false idea of conflating pro-Palestine sentiment with antisemitism. 

“What this apology implies is that the mere presence of Palestinian symbols - the keffiyeh pattern, the flag - is antisemitic,” journalist Tariq Kenney-Shawa wrote in an X post. “Spike Lee didn't say a word about the Israeli player or about Israel, yet was pressured to apologize because to them anything Palestinian is antisemitic.”

Spike Lee shit even more embarrassing cause there was legit nothing to apologize for lmao. You would think the shit he wore said “I hate Israel” on it.

— rico gates (@TrustSwisho) February 18, 2026

Palestine and Israel were surprisingly relevant during the All-Star weekend.

The Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving also showed support for Palestine, wearing a “Press” shirt in solidarity with Palestinian journalists who were killed by Israel.

Nearly 300 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 2023, in what has been desrcibed the deadliest place for journalists in the world. 

The Lakers’ Lebron James, on the other hand, received significant pushback for comments he made during a press conference when he said he hopes to visit Israel and has “heard nothing but great things”. 

Israel's genocide in Gaza has killed over 72,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 170,000. These numbers are widely regarded by experts and researchers to be conservative, with some putting the death toll in Gaza to at least 100,000.