LOS ANGELES – LeBron James responded to criticism from Zlatan Ibrahimovic about his activism and involvement in “political” and social injustices.
“I will not shut up about things that are wrong,” LeBron James said after the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. “I preach about my people, about equality, social equality, racism, systematic oppression, citizen vote suppression, things like that happen in our community because I was part of my community and I saw what happened.”
The former LA Galaxy star and current AC Milan player criticized LeBron for his involvement in political issues, as he put it in an interview for UEFA about Sweden’s Discovery +. The always controversial Zlatan said that while he admired LeBron’s talent, it was a mistake that athletes engaged in social and political issues were taking advantage of his status, rather than focusing on his sport.
“I am the wrong person to attack because I am an educated mind, I do my homework before commenting,” said LeBron.
Indeed, LeBron James did his homework, calling Zlatan a hypocrite who criticized the media in his native Sweden in 2018. The attacker cited the racism the press attacked him and said they did not give him credit for his career because he did not have the last name ‘Andersson or Svensson’. He described this as “covert racism”.
“I find it funny that he says that because he is the same person who complained in 2018 when he was in Sweden because his last name was not a particular last name in his country and he felt there was racism,” recalls the Lakers star.
LeBron James actively uses his platform to advance social causes. He led a campaign in the last US presidential election to encourage the vote; He has raised his voice on police brutality and racism, has schools and projects helping the community in his native Akron, Ohio, to name a few.
“I have over 300 children in my school who are going through the same things (that I have been through) and they need a voice and I am their voice. I will continue to use my platform to uncover situations that still occur not only in my community, but also in my country and in the world. I can’t just focus on sports because I understand how this platform works and the power my voice has, ”concluded LeBron.