Simu Liu was a member of the winning squad during the 2023 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, but there was one aspect of the event that he didn’t appreciate.
Liu took to social media Friday to call out a celebrity look-alike video segment during the game, which took place that day at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and aired on ESPN. After a Twitter user shared a photo apparently taken during the game that showed an image of Liu alongside a shot of an audience member who appeared to be of Asian descent and was watching from the arena’s seats, the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star quote-tweeted the post to express his dismay.
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“I had a great time but this wasn’t cool,” Liu wrote.
The Canadian actor, who was born in China, added a follow-up tweet Saturday to explain that he had a good experience working with everyone involved in the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities. According to Liu, this was the lone moment that bothered him, as he didn’t see a likeness between himself and the audience member.
“To be perfectly clear the entire org and ops team surrounding all-star have been nothing but absolutely stellar to myself and all my friends,” the Kim’s Convenience alum tweeted. “This was just one person with a camera. and no disrespect to my man in the videotron either! he’s gorgeous we just don’t look alike.”
Liu was part of Team Dwyane Wade, which prevailed over Team Ryan Smith with a close score of 81-78. Among Liu’s teammates were Janelle Monáe, 21 Savage and NFL star DK Metcalf, who was named the MVP of the game. Smith’s team included Kane Brown, WWE’s The Miz and Jimmy Kimmel Live! standout Guillermo Rodriguez.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the NBA for comment.
