Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has yet to chat extensively with fellow Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James, but he told ClutchPoints that he “might get the chance” and would “certainly” be open to the idea.
Abdul-Jabbar was present for a Lakers community event on Monday in Koreatown, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the debut of a mural of Lakers greats by the artist Jonas Never (I previously spoke to Never about Kobe Bryant murals).
Kareem Abdul Jabbar praises the mural work before joking he “feels a little jealous that Kobe got two images.” pic.twitter.com/dFG2TUEkMA
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) June 5, 2023
After making the rounds, the six-time NBA champion and six-time MVP fielded questions from the media.
“I've never had a chance to talk to LeBron other than two or three minutes,” Kareem said when asked if their correspondence has changed since LeBron became the all-time scoring leader. “There's no animosity or resentment there, at all. He's done remarkable things. He deserves all the accolades. Whatever it is that he's accomplished, he deserves it.”
I then asked Cap whether he'd like to have an in-depth conversation with the King.
“Well, we might get the chance. But, I certainly wouldn't be against it. As far as like, where his heart is and the things that he does, I've got nothing but admiration for him.”
After Kareem told @SopanDeb that he’s never chatted w/ LeBron for more than a few minutes — he said he greatly admires Bron and there’s no animosity — I asked Cap if he’d like to do so at some point. Kareem said “we might get the chance” and he “certainly wouldn’t be against it.” pic.twitter.com/yXBPkUefKT
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) June 6, 2023
Kareem and LeBron's relationship — or lack thereof — has long been a topic of speculation. In 2022, Abdul-Jabbar sharply criticized James for not being a louder proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine. Kareem apologized, saying: “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.”
LeBron said he had “no thoughts and no relationship” when asked about Kareem's criticism. A few months later, Kareem said he “definitely got the time” for a sit-down with LeBron, but that apparently never transpired.
Last year, Magic Johnson responded “Well, sure” when asked if the tension between LeBron and Kareem bothered him. Magic said he'd happily point guard a meeting.
“For them as two men, as two Black men who've gone through a lot … both of them are similar in ways. Kareem came out the same way as LeBron — all this hype, expectations. And they succeeded those expectations, both of them … They changed the game for Kareem. They changed the league for LeBron. So, they're different, yet similar … And I think one day that's gonna happen. If I can play a part in that, I would love to do that. I think let (LeBron) pass (Kareem) first. Let that happen, let that soak in for a minute, and then put the two men together. They're gonna find out they're similar … I would love to make that happen.”
Amazing moment between Kareem and LeBron 🤝 pic.twitter.com/E2GvUCLy3B
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2023
I'm no producer, but I think an episode of The Shop featuring LeBron, Magic, and Kareem might be fairly compelling.
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