As of right now, Naomi Osaka is the biggest name when it comes to the tennis world, however, she always seems to be at the center of some sort of controversy. From not wanting to talk to the press to various injuries that have kept her out of competition, Osaka has been going through it.
Recently, however, it seemed as though things were going well for the young star as she announced a brand new media venture with LeBron James called “Hana Kuma.” This new venture will help bring new stories to the forefront, and based on the posts below, LeBron and Osaka seemed thrilled about the opportunity.
Soon after announcing the name of this venture, Osaka found herself in hot water with Swahili speakers. This is a language spoken by 200 million people, and as it turns out, Hana Kuma means “woman with no vagina” in Swahili. In Osaka’s native Japanese, the phrase means “Flower Bear,” and it’s clear that the name was quite personal to her.
Despite this, Osaka was still subjected to jokes and ridicule over the name. There were plenty of memes to go around, and one person even said “Woke up to HanaKuma trending, only to realize it is a media station started by tennis star Naomi Osaka. And it is Kenyans who have taken it their global responsibility to spread the world and loudly wonder about it.”
For now, there are no plans to change the name, however, if the backlash and memes continue, she might have no choice.