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Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized LeBron James Sunday afternoon as he attended an NBA event unveiling a social justice trophy named after him. Abdul-Jabbar, who has criticized James for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past, doubled down on his opinion.
Abdul-Jabbar made an exception for James, who backed Andrew Wiggins earlier in the season after the Golden State Warriors forward was previously resistant to the COVID-19 vaccine, and for James, who shared a meme on Instagram depicting the coronavirus compared to the flu or a common cold. While Abdul-Jabbar disagrees with how LeBron has handled this situation, he would welcome the opportunity to sit down and talk to him about her activism.
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“I wouldn’t mind doing it if he took the time. I definitely have the time,” said Abdul-Jabbar. “I admire the things he did that got our full attention. Sending an entire school to college? Wow. That’s amazing I don’t throw stones. I just wish he wouldn’t – you know, some of the things he did should embarrass him. That’s exactly where I come from.”
Another issue Abdul-Jabbar faced was when LeBron was fined $15,000 by the league for a celebration deemed obscene by the league in November.
“I think he has so much to offer in terms of respect and performance and he shouldn’t stoop to those moments,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
The all-time leading scorer in NBA history said the reason he’s so critical of LeBron is because he has high expectations of him. He has seen how effectively he spoke about social justice issues and said he spoke “eloquently” about it.
When Abdul-Jabbar initially criticized LeBron for his stance on the pandemic earlier in the season, James chose not to engage in verbal sparring with him.
“No, I don’t have an answer for Kareem at all,” James said in December. “And when you’ve seen the post and read the tag, literally and honestly ask, ‘Will you help me?’ Help me figure this all out somehow. We are all trying to figure out this pandemic.