LOS ANGELES – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly criticized LeBron James once again on Sunday, when the Los Angeles Lakers legend said he believes the current Lakers star has a greater responsibility for how he behaves, given his high platform.
“Some of the things he’s done and said are really under him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said before the Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets. “Some of the amazing things he’s done, he’s standing almost on both sides of the fence, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept it when he’s committed to a different attitude to everything. It’s hard to find out of where he’s standing. You have to check him out every time. “
Abdul-Jabbar, ready to present James’ teammate Carmelo Anthony with the redesigned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy to honor Anthony as the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for the 2020-21 season, has already expressed his disappointment with James several times this time. season.
After James celebrated a late game 3 in an overtime win against the Indiana Pacers by mimicking the dance that made former NBA All-Star Sam Cassell popular and highlighting his lower regions, Abdul-Jabbar was pointed out in his disapproval.
“For me, winning is enough,” Abdul-Jabbar said in a video posted through Substack, a subscription comment site, in early December. “Why do you have to do a stupid, childish dance and not respect the other team on the field? It does not make sense. GOATS do not dance.”
Later that month, Abdul-Jabbar again targeted James after the four-time MVP shared a Spider-Man meme on his Instagram account showing three identical Spider-Man characters pointing at each other, bearing the labels “COVID “,” cold “and” flu “.
Abdul-Jabbar wrote on Substack that the post on social media was a “blow to his worthy legacy” because “the implication is that LeBron does not understand the difference between these three diseases, even after all the information presented in the press. “
Abdul-Jabbar referred to both of his previous criticisms on Sunday to explain his stance on the 19-year-old veteran.
“Absolutely, [I have] a higher expectation for him because he understands the issues and spoke to them quite loudly and eloquently, “said Abdul-Jabbar.” I think he has so much to go for him in terms of respect and performance and he should not bow to those moments. . “
James rejected Abdul-Jabbar’s criticism at the time.
“I have no answer at all to Kareem,” James said. “And if you saw the post and you read the tag, you are literally asking, honestly, ‘Help me?’ Help me figure it all out. We’re all trying to figure out this pandemic. “
Abdul-Jabbar said his and James’ personal interactions have only been brief, but he would welcome a further connection.
“If he wanted to take his time, I would definitely get time,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I admire the things he’s done that have gotten all our attention. Sending an entire school in college? Wow. That’s great. His thoughtfulness and willingness to back it up with his wallet, you have to give him the credit for that. “So I’m not throwing stones. I just wish he would not – you know, some of the things he’s done he should be ashamed of. That’s just where I come from.”
Despite this view, Abdul-Jabbar welcomes James’ pursuit of his NBA scoring record, which he has held for nearly 38 years after overshadowing Wilt Chamberlain’s previous career scorer.
“I totally believe he does,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “There’s no envy there … Just – with the issues I was talking about, things that really affect the black society, he should be careful. That’s all I ask.”