LeBron James dismissed Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s criticism of his social activism and pointed out the hypocrisy of the AC Milan star’s comments on Friday.
Ibrahimovic, whose time for his former team, the LA Galaxy, played along with James’ first season with the Lakers, criticized James in an interview with UEFA for Discovery + in Sweden on Thursday, saying it was a ‘mistake’ and ‘do not look good’ when James and other “famous” people get involved in politics.
“He was the same man who said when he was back in Sweden … because his surname was not a certain surname, that he felt there was racism going on when he was on the field,” James said. . “I speak from a very trained mind, so I’m kind of the wrong guy to go on because I do my homework.”
A few years ago, Ibrahimovic said that he was subjected to “undercover racism” in his native Sweden, because his Bosnian roots gave him a surname that did not sound traditionally Swedish.
“I’m not Andersson or Svensson,” Ibrahimovic told Canal + in 2018, referring to what he saw as racist treatment in the media. “If I were it, trust me, then they would defend me, even if I robbed a bank. They would defend me, I tell you.”
James was dissatisfied with Ibrahimovic’s position against him and explained why he was going out of court the way he was doing.
“I will never keep quiet about things that are wrong,” James said following the Lakers’ 102-93 victory over the Trail Blazers Friday night. “I preach about my people, and I preach about equality. Social injustice. Racism. Systematic oppression of voters. Things that are going on in our community.
‘Because at one point I was part of my community and saw the things that were going on, and I know what’s going on, because I have a group of over 300 kids at my school who are going through the same thing, and they have a voice needed. And I am their voice. I am their voice, and I use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that is going on, not only in my community, but also across the country and around the world. .
“So there’s no way I would just stick to sports because I understand how this platform is and how strong my voice is.”
James credited former WNBA player Renee Montgomery, who became a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream on Friday, after the league put pressure on former senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican who opposes WNBA players’ racial justice initiatives against last summer was opposed, posted to sell. her part of the team.
‘You can only ask Renee Montgomery if I would keep quiet and just dribble [what would have happened], “James said, later referring to the two-time 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 their commitment to social justice issues.
“It makes me feel proud to be part of a generation where our voices are heard and guys speak from a trained mindset,” James said. “But more importantly, when you speak from your heart, it sounds even louder.
‘And we have a lot of guys who speak from the heart who do not believe they have a voice at some point, or now they come in and see that they can have a voice and that their voice can be it really matters . It makes me proud. ‘
The James ‘I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, not only endangers hundreds of children in its hometown, but also provides affordable housing, a meal program and work training for the students’ families.
His organization More Than a Vote was also instrumental in mobilizing more than 40,000 volunteers to work at the polls in the November general election in an effort to stem the oppression of voters.
“As athletes, we’ve been hearing this for a long time,” James said. “You should [feel] privileged. You have to be thankful to be able to dribble a ball, drive a football or do a 100-yard line or swing a baseball bat and things like that. You need to be able to talk about nothing else, no matter if it is right or wrong, you just need to do it. But that is not the case. This is no longer the case. As long as I’m there, it’s far from the case. ‘