"I lost even more respect for Kareem" - Skip Bayless refuses to acknowledge Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's apology to LeBron James
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently apologized to LeBron James after his criticism wasn't well received, and famous sports analyst Skip Bayless is having none of it. The six-time NBA MVP has been at odds with James for the past few weeks but is now realizing the fallaciousness of his remarks.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Bayless dismissed Abdul-Jabbar's apology and said he had lost a lot of respect for him. He said:
"In the end, this is a sad situation. I lost even more respect for Kareem with his multiple apologies than I had lost with what he said about LeBron. ... And you dare to criticize him for how he has hurt the Black community. What are you talking about? ... (It) came across that you are completely out of touch, like you have no idea what you're talking about.
Bayless said that the fact that Abdul-Jabbar went back on his word proves he didn't know the truth before he scorned James.
Many analysts and famous personalities have taken offense at the Lakers legend speaking ill of James, who has taken action against social injustices. Of NBA players, James is arguably the biggest champion of social justice reform and the uplifting of the African-American community.
"I lost even more respect for Kareem."
— @RealSkipBayless isn't buying Kareem's apology to LeBron after critiquing him off-the-court https://t.co/YCMZTSXaEY
Bayless resonated with similar emotions while discussing James' off-the-court humanitarianism and philanthropy. He suggested that if there is one thing one cannot do it is criticizing James for a lack of effort in social and human rights issues. He said:
"I will restate my opinion that when I heard that Kareem was on hand on Sunday to present his award, the NBA Social Justice Champion award. If you'd ask me, out of the blue, who the winner will be? I'd say LeBron. Like, I would think LeBron was the runaway winner. And no offense to Carmelo, but I was little surprised."
LA Lakers veteran Carmelo Anthony was given the NBA Social Justice Champion award. The award is given to an active NBA player for pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life's mission to engage, empower and drive equality. When asked what made Anthony a worthy winner, Abdul-Jabbar said:
"Carmelo has the consciousness of wanting to see good things happen.
"They just read a listing of the things that Carmelo has done, and I was surprised to hear the depth that it got into with advocating for good things with police reform, better educational opportunities and things of that nature that go a long way toward making a peaceful and thriving community."
“It’s an honor for me to be able to receive that and I’m glad that Kareem can have an award named after him." @carmeloanthony on receiving the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Award. https://t.co/sEuuk8AWJl
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar apologizes to LeBron James after criticizing him
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar initially criticized LeBron James for not taking a fixed stance on social justice issues. He attacked the King for his tweet regarding the false positive COVID-19 test and suggested that he is indecisive in his opinions. As reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the six-time NBA champion said:
"Some of the great things that he's done, he's standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he's committed himself to a different take on everything. ... It's hard to figure out where he's standing. You've got to check him out every time."
Abdul-Jabbar's statement wasn't well-received by most in sports media. Many analysts criticized the legendary center, suggesting that he isn't well-informed. When he realized he was in the wrong to criticize James, he apologized, saying:
"It wasn't my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He has done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball. We may not always agree, but I want to wholeheartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. And if he can accept that, I'll be very happy."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar apologizes to LeBron James for critical comments: 'It wasn't my intention' yhoo.it/3DSWfF9 https://t.co/HgV5o8wnzW