LeBron James rejected Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s criticism of his social activism and pointed out the hypocrisy of the Milan star’s comments on Friday.
Ibrahimovic, whose season playing for his former team, the LA Galaxy, coincided with James’ first season with the Lakers, criticized James on Thursday in an interview with UEFA for Discovery + in Sweden, saying it was a “mistake” “and” not looking good when James and other “famous” people get involved in politics.
“He was the same guy who said it when he was back in Sweden … because his surname was not a certain surname, that he felt there was some racism when he was on the field,” said James. “I speak with a very polite mind, so I’m the wrong kind of guy to do this because I do my homework.”
Several years ago, Ibrahimovic said he was subject to “secret racism” in his native Sweden because his Bosnian roots gave him a surname that does not sound traditionally Swedish.
“I am not Andersson or Svensson,” Ibrahimovic told Canal + in 2018, referring to what he considered racist media treatment. “If I were like that, believe me, they would defend me even if I robbed a bank. They would defend me, I tell you.”
James was not intimidated by Ibrahimovic’s stance against him and explained why he approaches issues outside the court in the way he does.
“I would never shut up about things that are wrong,” said James after the Lakers’ 102-93 victory over the Trail Blazers on Friday night. “I preach about my people and I preach about equality. Social injustice. Racism. Systematic suppression of voters. Things that happen in our community.
“Because I was part of my community at one point and I saw the things that were going on, and I still know what’s going on because I have a group of over 300 kids in my school who are going through the same thing, and they need to a voice. And I am their voice. I am their voice and I use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that may be happening, not just in my community, but across this country and around the world.
“So, I would never limit myself to sports, because I understand how this platform and how powerful my voice is.”
James went on to give credit to former WNBA player Renee Montgomery, who became co-owner of the Atlanta Dream on Friday after the league pressured former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican who opposed US racial justice initiatives. WNBA players last summer, to sell their share of the team.
“You can just ask Renee Montgomery, if I would have shut up and just dribbled [what would have happened]”Said James, later referring to the twice WNBA champion as a” beautiful black woman “.
James also credited Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints for his commitment to social justice issues.
“I feel proud to be part of a generation where our voices are heard and the guys speak with an educated mentality,” said James. “But more importantly, when you speak from the heart, the bells sound even louder.
“And we have a lot of guys talking from the heart who didn’t believe they had a voice at any given time, or are now getting into it and see that they can have a voice and that their voice really matters. It makes me proud.”
James ‘I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, not only educates hundreds of at-risk children in their hometown, but also offers affordable housing, a food program and professional training for students’ families.
His More Than a Vote organization was also instrumental in mobilizing more than 40,000 volunteers to work at polling centers in the November general elections in an effort to prevent electoral repression.
“As athletes, we heard that a long time ago,” said James. “You must [feel] privileged. You should be grateful for being able to dribble a ball or run a football or be able to do a 100-yard run or be able to swing a baseball bat and things like that. You shouldn’t be able to talk about anything else, no matter if it’s right or wrong, you should just do that. But that is not the case. This is no longer the case. As long as I’m around, it won’t be the case for long. “