LeBron James found himself in an uncomfortable position when he spoke about the current Brittney Griner situation in Russia. The WNBA star has been detained since February and is currently going through a legal battle to get free and return to the United States soon.
During a recent edition of his ‘The Shop’ show, LeBron touched on this situation, saying some words that didn’t sit well with a lot of people around the league and the world of sports in general.
“Over 110 days, now, how can she feel like America has her back?” James asked. “I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’”
After making those comments, the King was met with criticism from fans, analysts and even his peers. One of his biggest rivals, Enes Kanter, went off on the player, telling LeBron he could exchange positions with Griner. More people took shots at James, but recently, somebody came in his defense, recalling all the times LBJ has done big things for people, which shows he’s all about helping others.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a lengthy piece about this situation and made it clear that LeBron deserves nothing but respect for his social justice actions.
I wish people could understand what it’s like to have every word you ever speak or write analyzed. It’s like putting a t-shirt through the wash until it disintegrates into a soggy ball of lint. Sometimes anything you say can be interpreted to mean whatever anyone wants it to mean. One size fits all biases.
In this case, James is right. After five months in a Russian prison, Griner may very well feel abandoned. Most people would. You may know in your brain the U.S. is working furiously behind the scenes on your behalf, but it wouldn’t feel that way. Add to that being Black, a woman, and non-binary—all groups under attack by the U.S. Supreme Court and dozens of Republican-led states—and you may sit in your cell worrying you’re not a priority back home.
James has demonstrated his unwavering commitment to community and country too many times to have it questioned over this. He has done as much, if not more, than most to bring awareness and gather support for Griner, and for that should be praised.
LeBron is constantly raising his voice against injustice and he’s helped more people than those who criticize him, so it’s easy to see where Kareem’s comments come from. The 4x NBA champion is accustomed to the criticism, but this time things might have gotten out of control.
Abdul-Jabbar has been one of the people that has criticized LeBron recently, and it’s good to see that he’s keeping it real now that the rest of the world is against the King.
