Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Absolutely Destroys Kyrie Irving, Says He Should Be Canceled
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has never been one to mince his words – not during his active playing career, and certainly not after.
Kareem is outspoken on many topics and doesn’t shy away when it comes to voicing his opinion. This is also the reason Jabbar has frequently criticized Kyrie Irving in the past years.
Now, went absolutely after Kyrie and completely destroyed him, while basically saying we should cancel him. And he does make a good point…
Via Kareem’s Substack:
There is some irony in this news item coming right after the previous one about the miseducation of American youth. Because Kyrie Irving’s thought process is an example of what happens when the education system fails.
Last October, I wrote a piece about Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (“Should We Just ‘Leave Kyrie Alone?”) and why this reckless choice was destructive to the country and especially the Black community where he would be an influential role model. The facts proved that accusation to be true. Irving didn’t care. He continued to promote his anti-vax sentiments—regardless of the cost in lives and health to others—proclaiming himself a “martyr.” Not kidding.
We might have just left him alone to stew in his own gelatinous ignorance. Rich and famous people get away with saying dumb things all the time because their money isolates them from consequences. They surround themselves with Yes-people whose job is to confirm whatever hare-brained ideas they have. Yes, sir, Mr. Irving, the Earth has never been flatter.
But now Irving is back and more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly than before. He decided it would be a good idea to post a 2002 video clip from Infowars founder Alex Jones. Yeah, the guy who has been on trial for denying the Sandy Hook shootings and who previously admitted in open court that he’s a performer and his onscreen persona is just a character (that bilks millions of dollars from unaware viewers). The main gist of the clip is a warning about a cabal of international leaders who are secretly releasing plagues on the world from which they can profit. (Of course, we know who really profits from making this claim.)
Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench.
Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes. When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks.
Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior. One way to do that, beyond shaking our heads and nasty tweets, is to write to his sponsors and tell them to drop Irving—or you will drop them. Nike has likely decided not to renew his contract past this season. But he is still sponsored by Pepsi and 2K Sports. (Don’t feel bad for Irving: his career earnings at the end of the 2022-’23 season will be $230 million. That buys a lot of Yes-people.)