Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most outspoken athletes in the history of sports. KAJ made bold social and political moves in his career, aligning himself with the civil rights movement and later changing his name and religion to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
KAJ was a trailblazer for many of the modern NBA players, setting up the initial roadmap for what came to be known as ‘player empowerment.’ As a result, the 5-time champion feels like he can criticize people that misuse their platform as an NBA player, with Kyrie Irving being in the crosshairs of Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem went off on Kyrie recently, attacking the star’s personal beliefs regarding over-vaccination. While Kyrie didn’t issue a direct response, he did make some cryptic tweets. Similarly, his teammate Kevin Durant ended up supporting Kyrie by liking a video of KAJ punching out a player during the 1977-78 season.
Kareem: “Kyrie Irving should reconsider his behavior because young people look up
to him.”
Also Kareem: pic.twitter.com/sKZS18O0IO
— JW (@JWepp) October 3, 2022
That punch led to Kareem being suspended for 2 months that season, missing out on an All-Star appearance right in the middle of his prime. The mistakes KAJ made on the court are coming back to haunt him in his disagreement with Kyrie, as it is hard to preach responsibility when people pull up videos like this.
Kareem and Kyrie: Who’s Right?
Neither man can claim that they are in a better position than the other. Kareem did come out extremely aggressive in his comments against Irving, a player who has never cared about what others have had to say about him. The tone of his comments soured many people on Kareem, who has been considered a legend of the sport for generations.
Kyrie’s vaccination status is one that can divide a lot of opinions. As far as basketball is concerned, Irving sat out last season to avoid getting vaccinated. States will allow him to play and work without being vaccinated, so Irving is bound to be on the court quite often/
Just like Kyrie is free to say anything, Kareem has that freedom too. In this situation, it might be best to just focus on basketball and let them continue having their ideological matchup in their media interviews and tweets.
