Barbie manufacturer, Mattel, has named LA Lakers basketball legend LeBron James as its first-ever ‘Kenbassador’. James’ Ken doll will be part of Mattel’s Barbie Signature Kenbassadors Collection, a campaign meant to recognise men making a positive influence in society.
The announcement that LeBron James will be the first official ambassador for the campaign comes ahead of the Ken doll’s 65th anniversary in March 2026. James’ Ken doll immortalisation also marks a partnership between Barbie and the LeBron James Family Foundation.
For every James doll sold at Target and Target.com between April 14 and April 19, Mattel will donate a copy of James’ children’s book, I Am More Than to Save the Children, in order to support the LeBron James Family Foundation’s mission to advance early childhood literacy. Sure to be a collector’s item, the LeBron Ken doll will retail for $75 at Target, Amazon, Walmart and Mattel Creations starting April 14 at 12:00 AM EST. It’s not yet known whether the doll will be available for purchase in the UK.
But what does a LeBron James doll look like exactly? Well, LeBron reportedly worked “closely with the Barbie team” to figure this out. For one, the LeBron doll will be one inch taller than any other Ken doll sold to date.
The LeBron Ken will also reflect the NBA legend’s signature style. Krista Berger, SVP of Barbie and global head of dolls at Mattel, told Campaign Live that James’ reputation for being a “style icon” will be represented by his doll. The LeBron doll will showcase the athlete wearing a blue and white letterman jacket, stitched with his “LJ” initials on the front. The back of the jacket will be printed with “LeBron” along with the phrase “Just a Kid from Akron” (Akron is James’ hometown in Ohio).
The NBA star worked with Mattel to design the select patches for the custom jacket. The patches range from a No. 23 representing his Lakers jersey number, an Ohio patch and a “We are family” patch representing the LeBron James Family Foundation. LeBron also reportedly picked out the doll’s Beat headphones and Nike trainers.
James has expressed that it has been an honour working with Mattel on the project. In a press release, he wrote: “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. Now, as an adult, I understand how vital it is for young people to have positive figures to look up to.”
The athlete went on to say: “That’s why partnering with Barbie to release the LeBron James Kenbassadors doll is such an honour. It’s an opportunity to recognize the powerful impact of role models who instil confidence, inspire dreams, and show kids that they, too, can achieve greatness.”
Berger at Mattel also told Campaign Live that James is the ideal first Kenbassador: “He’s of course a legendary athlete, but more than that, he is an activist, an author, a philanthropist and he has such an inspiring commitment and devotion to giving back to his community through his foundation. All those things combined make him a Kenbassador and embody those Kenbassador qualities.”
In the midst of highlighting the positive impact of the Kenbassador initiative, it was also made clearly evident earlier this week that the toy manufacturer has made a conscious decision to tone down its DEI priorities for investors. In the company’s two most recent investor filings this year, Mattel removed references to its DEI efforts and did not include diversity data.
The company’s previous promise to create positive impact through “supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities” was also missing from the 2025 proxy statement, which the company sent to shareholders ahead of its annual meeting on May 28.
Bloomberg also reported that Mattel “cut a table that showed the gender and demographic breakdown of its board members” which it has included since 2022. As opposed to mentioning diversity outright, Mattel made sweeping generalisations about its priorities in its 10-K filing, writing: “Mattel is committed to fostering a culture where all employees have the opportunity to realise their full potential”.
The DEI pushback is evidence that the company is feeling the pressure – along with many other companies – to scale back diversity initiatives under the new Trump administration. Still the company that totes its Barbie collection as “the most diverse doll line” has continued to push more inclusive campaigns and product roll outs.
It was also announced that Mattel will partner with production company A24 and Daniel Kaluuya for a live-action Barney movie, which will be written by Ayo Edebiri. The other Kenbassadors in the Signature Collection have yet to be announced.
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