Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a LeBron James fan, but he isn’t a fan of everything LeBron James does.
Speaking to reporters before the Lakers’ game on Sunday, Abdul-Jabbar said the NBA’s biggest star should carry himself in a different way considering his gigantic platform.
“Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said before the Lakers’ 129-118 loss to the Nuggets. “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.”
Abdul-Jabbar, never shy to share his opinions as a guest on cable television or via his popular Substack, was at the Lakers game to present Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony with the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy as the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for the prior season.
“I admire the things that he’s done that have gotten all our attention,” Abdul-Jabbar said about James. “Sending a whole school to college? Wow. That’s amazing. His thoughtfulness and willingness to back it up with his wallet, you got to give him credit for that. So I’m not throwing stones. I just wish he wouldn’t — you know, some of the things he’s done, he should be embarrassed about.”
After the comments went viral, Abdul-Jabbar tried to walk them back on Twitter.
“Today, a reporter asked me a question about LeBron James, and I regret my off-handed response which has been blown out of proportion,” he tweeted. “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.”
But it was far from the first time that Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in NBA history and a six-time champion, has criticized James. Twice in December Abdul-Jabbar publicly ripped James for his actions — one for an inappropriate celebration he did during a game and the other for an Instagram post that compared COVID-19 to the cold and the flu.
LEBRON. with a little Sam Cassell and HMD cele on top. pic.twitter.com/YlxAyZo0sG
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 25, 2021
“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 wrote in December.
Later that month, he wrote that James’ Instagram meme about COVID-19, which got national attention, was a “blow to his worthy legacy”
LeBron posted this Spider-Man meme on IG.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 24, 2021
Thoughts? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/d1d1xE3ID4
“The meme’s implication is that LeBron doesn’t understand the difference among these three illnesses, even after all the information that’s been presented in the press,” Jabbar wrote.
James is 1,325 points behind Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in NBA history. He will likely pass the former UCLA star next season.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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