Los Angeles Laker legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar was heavily criticized Lebron James and followed up again when he recently explained that some of his recent behavior had been “embarrassing” and “below him”.
Now, a day after he slammed it again, Abdul-Jabbar apologized for it.
According to ESPN, after having a chance to recall what he said the previous day, during an interview on SiriusXM radio, the Hall of Famer basketball player apologized “from the bottom of my heart” and reiterated the respect he has for the future Hall of Famer has.
“I just have to say this: I was there to present the NBA Social Justice Champion Award to Carmelo Anthony. I’ve spoken to the press since high school, that’s 60 years of making statements. And I didn’t always do everything right. And Sunday was one of those nights,” Abdul-Jabbar explained on the radio program.
“It was not my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He’s done so much for the black community and for the game of basketball. We may not always agree, but I want to offer a heartfelt apology to LeBron and let him know that I have a lot of respect for him. And if he can accept that, I’ll be very happy.”
Abdul-Jabbar went after James harshly for dancing at a basketball game for which he was fined because it was considered obscene. He was also disappointed that James asked earlier this season if there was a difference between the common cold, flu and COVID-19.
On December 27, 2021, Abdul-Jabbar posted an online response titled “Dear LeBron: Here’s the COVID-19 help you requested in your Spider-Man meme.”
https://t.co/48x2GGlI71#LeBronJames #COVID19
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 27, 2021
Currently, James is close to replacing Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as he is just 1,326 points away. Abdul-Jabbar has been the league’s top scorer for almost 38 years. Injuries aside, James is expected to surpass that record next season.