Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Thinks Kyrie Irving Is Being Used

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attends the Los Angeles premiere of Apple's "They Call Me Magic" at Regency Village Theatre on April 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Kareem recently appeared on CNN to talk about Kyrie.

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."

Retired basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar looks on during a ceremony where he presented the Trophy for the league’s annual Social Justice Champion award to Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers prior to a game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on April 03, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

“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]

About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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