Los Angeles Clippers star Norman Powell misspoke at a pregame ceremony on Martin Luther King Day, honoring the civil-rights advocate, accidentally calling him ‘Martin Luther Cream’.
Powell did not appear to notice his own error and continued wit his speech before the Clippers game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday evening.
Powell’s shirt has been worn across the NBA on MLK Day that says ‘Honor King’ on the front. The back of the shirt reads, ‘The time is always right to do what is right’.
‘I want to thank everybody for coming out and celebrating the life of Martin Luther Cream,’ Powell jarringly said. ‘He was a great man.’
Powell did not let the mess-up affect his game, scoring a team-high 27 points in the Clippers’ 112-99 loss to the Bulls.
Some on social media had a field day with the obvious blunder.
LA Clippers star Norman Powell misspoke on Monday by saying ‘Martin Luther Cream’
Powell did not recognized the blunder in the moment but NBA fans on social media quickly did
‘”I have a cream,”‘ one social-media user said with a tweak to King’s infamous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech.
‘Bro slipped up and used group chat lingo,’ another NBA fan stated.
‘Yo give him a break. He’s just nervous and stuttering. Damn,’ one Clippers fan added.
‘Is that a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor?’ a person said referencing the ice-cream brand.
A collection of social-media messages about Norman Powell’s MLK blunder on Monday night
Powell has yet to react to the blunder on his social media, with him being nervous to speak in front of 15,000-plus people as a plausible excuse.
The 31-year-old is a 10-year NBA veteran, spending most of his career with the Toronto Raptors before heading to Los Angeles.
With Kawhi Leonard out for most of this season, Powell has stepped up to be one of the team’s best players.
After Monday’s loss, Los Angeles is in fifth place in the Western Conference standings.