"Come on Kareem, this should be beneath you" - Shannon Sharpe fires a long rant at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for critiquing LeBron James
Throughout his career, LeBron James has achieved almost every possible accolade a player can. Even at age 37, he has a chance to add to his already historic resume. As of now, James is in the mix to win his first scoring title in nearly 15 years.
The Lakers forward is also on the cusp of making history. LeBron James currently sits roughly 1,300 points behind Kareem Adbul Jabbar's all-time points record.
Similar to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in a game, this was a record many felt would never be broken. Abdul-Jabbar was recently asked about this and made some interesting remarks regarding James.
In an interview, Abdul-Jabbar said James should be "embarrassed" about some of the things he's done. This unwarranted shot was a topic of conversation during FS1's Undisputed. Shannon Sharpe was displeased by the comments made by the legendary big man:
"Come on Kareem, this should be beneath you."
.@ShannonSharpe on Kareem's criticism of LeBron this year:
"He was out of bounds, but Kareem has to stand on it, you can't backtrack. You said what you really felt about LeBron. We didn't see these sharp critiques of Bron until now, when he's close to breaking Kareem's record." https://t.co/DmL9wF4qOK
The thing that stands out most about these recent statements is the timing of it. As of now, LeBron James is about 1,300 points away from surpassing Abdul-Jabbar. Because it is almost guaranteed that it will happen, Shapre feels there is a deeper motive behind the comments.
"We didn't see the sharp Critiques about LeBron until when? Barring something catastrophic happening, he is going to pass Kareem."
LeBron James has been a model face of the NBA
Everyone may not be the biggest fan of him, but there is no denying the contributions LeBron James has made in and outside of basketball. For nearly two decades, he has been the model face of the league.
Along with being one of the game's top talents, James has used his platform for good. Whether it is standing up for social justice or helping the people of his hometown get a proper education, James has always gone above and beyond.
"It seems very odd that you would pick this opportunity to take a shot like this."
Sharpe felt the comments made by Abdul-Jabbar were a bit distasteful, and rightfully so. Given the timing, one can assume there was some alterior motive behind what was said.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says he’d be willing to meet Lakers’ LeBron James to discuss their differences on issues like vaccine advocacy: “I admire the things he’s done… Sending a whole school to college, wow, that’s amazing… Some of the things he’s done he should be embarrassed by.” https://t.co/0QlNMNUXit
Players of the caliber of James are always bound to receive criticism, but when it comes from a former player, it holds more weight. Especially during instances like this, when two of the game's greatest players are involved.
As someone who has also used their platform for good away from the game, it is shocking to see Abdul-Jabbar say these things about James. One thing is for sure, these comments have added an unwanted wrinkle to James eventually becoming the league's all-time leading scorer down the road.