Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Thinks Kyrie Irving Is Being Used

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most vocal former NBA stars when it comes to politics. When COVID happened, Abdul-Jabbar started his own Substack where he began to blog about various topics. His Substack is read by many, and it has oftentimes led to some interesting discourse.

Kareem Vs. Kyrie

The Lakers legend has absolutely no issue with criticizing modern-day NBA talents. Kareem has gone after the likes of LeBron James, and he has also been hard on Kyrie Irving. In a Substack from a few months ago, Abdul-Jabbar even labeled Kyrie as a “buffoon.”

“Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes,” Kareem wrote. “When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks.”

Kyrie Suspended

Recently, Kareem was on CNN where he spoke about the latest scandal involving Kyrie. Of course, the Nets star was suspended for his tweet in which he shared an antisemitic documentary. During Abdul-Jabbar’s appearance on the news network, he said Kyrie was being used to spread hate. He also preached a message of togetherness, as that’s the only way to help those who are marginalized.

“I think the lack of awareness of the harm that they’re doing both to the Black community and to other communities: the LGBTQ community, the Latinx community, all of these marginalized communities are really in one lump,” Kareem said. “If we don’t try to protect everyone, we won’t protect anyone.”

Kyrie and the Nets are looking toward a resolution, and it remains to be seen when he will come back. In the meantime, Kareem will continue to call out those who he feels are acting in a detrimental fashion.

[Via]