Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been an advocate for social justice, so it only makes sense that he would be the one to award Carmelo Anthony with the Social Justice Champion award last Sunday. During the evening, Kareem made some interesting remarks about LeBron James in which he said the Lakers star has been making comments that are beneath him. He also claimed that it is hard to know where LeBron stands and that when it comes to COVID and China, he has been sorely lacking.
Abdul-Jabbar was heavily criticized for his remarks, and now, he is offering up an apology. While appearing on Sirius XM NBA Radio, Kareem noted that his intention wasn't to put LeBron down and that sometimes, he simply misspeaks when talking to the media.
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“All I have to say is this: I was there to give Carmelo Anthony the Social Justice Champion Award,” Abdul-Jabbar said via The Los Angeles Times. “I’ve been talking to the press since high school. That’s 60 years of making statements. And I haven’t always gotten it right. And Sunday was one of those nights. It wasn’t my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He’s done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball. We may not always agree, but I want to whole-heartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. If he can accept that, I’ll be very happy.”
LeBron still hasn't given his take on this whole saga, and it is fairly unlikely that he will. After all, James is probably more concerned about the fact that his Lakers couldn't even reach the playoffs despite being loaded with talent.
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