Two days after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pointed out that Lebron James was doing things that were “under him” and that he should be “embarrassed about,” the six-time NBA champion apologized and further clarified his comments about the Lakers star.
Jabbar made his first comments about James in Sunday’s Lakers-Nuggets game, where he was present to present Carmelo Anthony with the NBA’s inaugural Social Justice Champion Award. Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio Monday, the six-time MVP explained that sometimes he can get things wrong.
“I’ve spoken to the press since high school, that’s 60 years of making statements,” Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN. “And I haven’t always done it right. And Sunday was one of those nights.
“It was not my intention to criticize LeBron [James] in some way. He’s done so much for the Black community and for the game of basketball. We may not always agree, but I want to offer a heartfelt apology to LeBron and let him know that I have a lot of respect for him. And if he can accept that, I’ll be very happy.”
Mannix: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron did things to be ashamed of
Before Monday’s apology, Jabbar emailed the Los Angeles Times on Sunday, sharing his thoughts on James as an activist and why he was so critical of James.
“LeBron [James] is still the intimidating hero I described two years ago,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “He is still a major force in improving life in the Black community. He is still one of the greatest basketball players in history. He is still a man worthy of the overwhelming admiration of millions. And every day he goes out and proves why he deserves this admiration.
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“Occasionally I have rebuked LeBron when I thought he would drop the ball when it came to supporting the community. But I did so in the spirit of a loving older brother who offers guidance, wanted or not. So when I said that he did some things to be ashamed of, which wasn’t a punch or a barb or even a finger wag, I recapitulated some of what I’ve said in the past.”
James is currently 1,326 points behind Abdul-Jabbar, who has been the league’s top scorer to date, a record that has been stable for almost four decades. While all signs point to James becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, he and the Lakers are fighting for their chances of playing this year’s postseason.
The Lakers (31-47) are currently 11th in the Western Conference and two games behind the Spurs for 10th and last spot for the league play-in tournament. San Antonio (33-45) owns the tiebreaker against the Lakers.
James, who missed Sunday’s game due to left ankle pain, will also miss Tuesday’s game against the Suns with persistent pain. If Los Angeles loses on Tuesday, James could be in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in his career.
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