Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Says LeBron James's COVID-19 Meme Instagram Post a 'Blow to His Worthy Legacy'

James appeared to compare COVID-19 to the cold and flu in an Instagram post last week.

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said that Lakers star LeBron James's recent Instagram post, in which James shared a popular “Spider-Man” meme which appeared to show three identical superheroes pointing at each other labeled as “COVID,” “cold,” and “flu," was a "blow to his worthy legacy."

Writing on his Substack, Abdul-Jabbar wrote that the “implication [of the post] is that LeBron doesn’t understand the difference among these three illnesses, even after all the information that’s been presented in the press.”

Abdul-Jabbar went on to explain both the meme's context, but also information regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine's efficacy. 

Unvaccinated people are five times more likely to test positive and 14 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with government data also showing that vaccination is still a strong protector against severe illness.

"While LeBron is a necessary and dynamic voice critical of police brutality against the Black community, he needs to be the same necessary and dynamic advocate with vaccines, which could save thousands of Black lives right now,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote.

Abdul-Jabbar has long praised James for his advocacy on a number of issues. Last December, Abdul-Jabbar penned an essay for Sports Illustrated in which James was honored as the one of the five Sportsperson of the Year winners. In it, Abdul-Jabbar described James by saying, “Paul Simon sang that ‘every generation sends a hero up the pop chart,’ and this generation couldn’t do any better in the hero department than LeBron James."

Adding: “Part of being a hero is to have both the modesty to feel unworthy of such a heavy word and the strength to accept the responsibility that comes with others looking to you to be that hero. What is a hero but someone who stands up for those who can’t? Who embodies our cherished ideals of sportsmanship: fair play, hard work and compassion? That pretty much describes the LeBron James I’ve watched and come to know since he was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft and was named Rookie of the Year.”

In September, James revealed he was vaccinated after initially saying he would keep his status private. At the time, he also said he would not try to convince anyone else to take the vaccine.

James briefly entered into the NBA's health and safety protocols on Nov. 30 and was cleared to play on Dec. 2. Others within the organization have been placed in the league's COVID-19 protocols in recent weeks, including Avery Bradley, Russell Westbrook and Dwight Howard. 

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