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If LeBron James ultimately passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, it could lead to one awkward handshake.
Abdul-Jabbar criticized James for the third time this season on Sunday before the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets. He was at the arena to present Carmelo Anthony, James’ teammate with the Lakers, with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy honoring the NBA’s Social Justice Champion for the 2020-21 season.
Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t think James has fully utilized his platform to make a difference. He’s not the first one with that opinion, but this was Lakers-on-Lakers criticism.
“Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see,” Abdul-Jabbar said, according to ESPN.com. “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. It’s hard to figure out where he’s standing. You’ve got to check him out every time.”
James recently passed Karl Malone to move into No. 2 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He is less than 1,400 points away from catching Abdul-Jabbar. But the two all-time greats don’t have a personal relationship, even if they are bonded by the purple and gold uniform.
“If he would take the time [to know me], 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. 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.”
Like what specifically?
Abdul-Jabbar took issue with an R-rated celebration by James after he made a big overtime shot against the Pacers in December.
“For me, winning is enough,” Abdul-Jabbar said in a video posted on Substack, a subscription commentary website. “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.”
When James later made reference on social media to what he feels is confusion between symptoms for COVID-19, a cold and the flu, Abdul-Jabbar “called it a blow to his worthy legacy.” James dismissed Abdul-Jabbar and anyone else who misunderstood the intent of his message at the time.
“With the issues I was talking about,” Abdul-Jabbar said, “things that really affect the black community, he should be careful. That’s all I’m asking.”
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