LeBron James broke his silence on Friday after getting criticized by football icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic about his strong political views. The Swedish striker practically mirrored disgraced news anchor Laura Ingraham controversial “shut up and dribble” comments to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, after basically claiming that James should do what he's good at and stay away from politics.
James had this curt response to Ibrahimovic on Friday, per Michael Corvo of ClutchPoints.
LeBron on Zlatan's comments:
“I speak from a very educated mind. I’m kind of the wrong guy to actually go at, because I do my homework.”
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) February 27, 2021
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no stranger to LeBron and Los Angeles, having played for the LA Galaxy from 2018-19. While the two do not actually have a personal relationship, it's shocking that the 39-year-old soccer star set his crosshairs on James for always speaking his mind about social and political issues.
Earlier, Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter defended James from Zlatan's comments, claiming there's nothing wrong with using a platform to fight against oppression. This is indeed an interesting development, considering Kanter has had his brush-ins with LeBron on the court over the years.
Someone tell @Ibra_official
There is a difference between political opinions and speaking up against persecution, oppression and calling out Dictators. #BLM isn’t a political statement,
it’s speaking up against oppression.In America, we call it Freedom of speech. https://t.co/eEpERmUaXl
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) February 27, 2021
Superstar athletes from all sports, meanwhile, hold a great influence on their millions of fans across the world. There are a select few brave enough to speak out on pressing societal issues, while others cower for fear of upsetting brands and losing endorsement deals. James has used his influence to be the voice for so many others, and he isn't shying away from the spotlight even when it's outside of the basketball court.
"I have 300+ kids at my school who need a voice and I'm their voice…I'm the wrong guy to go at, I do my homework." @KingJames weighs in on the recent comments made by soccer superstar @Ibra_official that people should "do what they're good at" and "stay out of politics". pic.twitter.com/Scfp6HhnP2
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 27, 2021
While politics is indeed not everyone's cup of tea, it's also not wise to bring down other athletes trying to make a difference. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the right to voice out his opinion as everyone does, but so does LeBron James, who wants to be remembered not only as a terrific basketball player, but also an outstanding role model who sparked change.
Follow Us
Subscribe