LOS ANGELES – LeBron James responded to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s criticism of his political activism with the promise that he would never just shut up and dribble.
The Los Angeles Lakers star also pointed out that Ibrahimovic clearly did not feel the same way about pointing out social injustices when the great footballer called for racism in his native Sweden just three years ago.
The AC Milan striker and former LA Galaxy star criticized James and other socially conscious athletes on Thursday in an interview with Discovery Plus. Ibrahimovic called “a mistake” James and other athletes to get involved in political causes, saying that they should “just do what you do best, because it doesn’t look good”.
James responded vigorously to Ibrahimovic’s position after the Lakers’ 102-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
“I would never shut up the things that are wrong,” said James, who had 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
“I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social injustice, racism, systematic repression of voters, things that happen in our community,” added James. “I know what’s going on yet, because I have a group of over 300 kids in my school who are going through the same thing, and they need a voice, and I am their voice. I will use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that is happening in this country and around the world. There is no way I can limit myself to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice are. “
James funds the I Promise School in his native Akron, Ohio. The third highest scorer in NBA history also supports numerous initiatives in pursuit of social justice, voting rights and other progressive causes.
James also made it clear that he was aware of the comments made in 2018 by Ibrahimovic, Swedish son of Bosnian father and Croatian mother.
“He’s the guy who said in Sweden, he was talking about the same things, because his surname was not a surname (traditional Swedish), he felt that there was some racism going on when he was on the field,” said James. “I speak with a very polite mind. I’m the wrong kind of guy to actually go to, because I do my homework.
In fact, Ibrahimovic told Canal Plus that “covert racism” caused the Swedish media and public to treat him with less respect and reverence: “This exists, I am 100% sure, because I am not Andersson or Svensson. If I were like that, believe me, they would defend me even if I robbed a bank. “
James and Ibrahimovic stayed together in Los Angeles for about 16 months, from the summer of 2018 until November 2019, when Ibrahimovic returned to Europe. While Zlatan was unable to take the Galaxy to the MLS Cup title, despite playing exceptionally for two rather frustrating seasons, LeBron has already won the Lakers’ 17th NBA title in his second season with the club.
They also share striking similarities as two amazing athletes who remained among the best players in the world until the age of 30. James, 36, is still one of the best players in modern basketball, while Ibrahimovic, 39, remains among the Serie A scoring leaders with 14 goals in just 13 games for Milan.
Dennis Schröder, the German Lakers’ guard, gave his support to James and confirmed the obvious truth that Ibrahimovic’s attitude is definitely not shared by many European athletes.
“Every athlete can use our platform and try to make changes in this world,” said Schröder. “Zlatan, he is a little bit different. Unique player, unique character. “