NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took aim at “woke” Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James, going so far as to say that “he should be embarrassed” by how he has behaved at times in the past.
“Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said on Sunday, according to ESPN. “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,” he added. “It’s hard to figure out where he’s standing. You’ve got to check him out every time.”
You can listen to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dress down “King” James in his own words in the video below.
This is far from the first time that Abdul-Jabbar has attacked James, as he has criticized him multiple times already throughout this season.
Back in December, James mimicked a dance that was popularized by former NBA star Sam Cassell as he celebrated an overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers, and this didn’t sit well with Abdul-Jabbar.
“For me, winning is enough,” Abdul-Jabbar said at the time. “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 acknowledged on Sunday that he has criticized James in the past.
“Absolutely, [I have] a higher expectation for him because he understands the issues and spoken to them quite forcefully and eloquently,” he said. “I think he has so much going for him in terms of respect and accomplishment and he shouldn’t stoop to those moments.”
Abdul-Jabbar went on to say that he has only interacted with James briefly on various occasions, and that he is open to having a meeting with him in the future to discuss their different outlooks.
“If he would take the time, I definitely got the time,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I admire the things that he’s done that have gotten all our attention. 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,” he concluded. “I just wish he wouldn’t — you know, some of the things he’s done, he should be embarrassed about. That’s just where I’m coming from.”
Many Americans agree with this assessment of James.
In fact, towards the end of last month, a poll found that James is the most hated player in the NFL by far. Check it out:
Later in the day on Sunday, however, Abdul-Jabbar tried to walk back his comments.
“I regret my off-handed response which has been blown out of proportion,” he said. “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.”
It’s unfortunate that the 6-time NBA champ appears to be caving to backlash over his remarks because maybe James “should be embarrassed” by some of his past antics.
There are few professional athletes that are as full of themselves as LeBron James, so it was nice to see him get called out by an NBA icon and class act like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Even if it didn’t last very long.
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