UPDATE: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar clarified his comments on LeBron James and released the following statement:
Today a reporter asked me a question about Lebron James and I regret my off-handed response which has been blown out of proportion. For years I’ve expressed my deep admiration and respect for LeBron as a community leader and athlete. That hasn’t changed and never will. – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Read the full article below:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar respects Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. However, the NBA icon has some issues about how the veteran forward conducts himself on and off the court.
While Abdul-Jabbar didn't say anything specific, he mentioned how some of his actions are “really beneath him.”
“Some of the great things that he's done, he's standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he's committed himself to a different take on everything. It's hard to figure out where he's standing. You've got to check him out every time,” the Lakers great explained, per ESPN.
Of course a lot of people probably know what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is pointing out. After all, there have been only a few instances when he called out LeBron James for his actions.
To recall, when James posted on Instagram a now-deleted Spiderman meme suggesting that COVID-19, flu and cold are just the same, KAJ didn't hold back his thoughts and slammed the Lakers leader. He emphasized that it was a misinformed post that shows that LeBron doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation.
“LeBron James is not only one of the greatest basketball players ever, he’s committed to being a leader in the African American community in the fight against inequality. But his Thursday Instagram meme showing three cartoon Spider-Men pointing at each other—one labeled “covid,” one labeled “flu,” one labeled “cold”—with his message: “Help me out folks” was a blow to his worthy legacy. The meme’s implication is that Lakers star doesn’t understand the difference among these three illnesses, even after all the information that’s been presented in the press. …” Abdul-Jabbar wrote at the time.
“While LeBron is a necessary and dynamic voice critical of police brutality against the Black community, he needs to be the same necessary and dynamic advocate with vaccines, which could save thousands of Black lives right now. The racism is just as real—and just as lethal—in both cases.”
Another instance Kareem called out LeBron for was when he had a rather questionable celebration against the Indiana Pacers. Last November in their visit to Indiana, James banked a clutch triple with less than two minutes left to give the Lakers a 110-104 lead. In an uncharacteristic move, though, he did the classic Sam Cassell “Big Balls” celebration.
Abdul-Jabbal described the action as a “stupid” and “childish” since James didn't need to mock or taunt his opponents like that. He should have known better to respect his foes.
“Last week LeBron was fined $15,000 for doing a ‘Big Balls’ dance after the Lakers win.. For me, winning is enough. Why do you need to do a stupid, childish dance and disrespect the other team on the court. It doesn’t make sense. Goats don’t dance,” Abdul-Jabbar furthered.
LeBron has never really responded directly to Kareem about his criticisms, so it's unlikely he'll do it this time around. Still, Abdul-Jabbar makes valid points on his take on LeBron. Being a player known to uphold himself to a higher standard and one known to let his game do the talking, it is certainly surprising to see James break that character with some of his actions that might be deemed minor.
He is one of the most influential player today, and everything he does holds weight. Abdul-Jabbar just reminded him of that.
Follow Us
Subscribe