NBA star LeBron James has kicked off after criticism from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who earlier this week said the Los Angeles Lakers star is too involved in politics. 36-year-old James is not afraid to speak up on issues such as excessive police violence and racial inequality, and says he will not be silenced by the AC Milan striker.
“What he does as a basketball player is phenomenal, but I don’t like it when people of a certain status talk about politics,” Ibrahimovic, no stranger to the United States due to his past at LA Galaxy, said in an interview with LA Galaxy this week. Discovery +. “Do what you are good at. I play football because I am the best at it. If I had political ambitions I would have entered politics. It’s the mistake famous people make when they feel like they’re at the top, that they need to have an opinion on everything. I think it is better not to get involved in these problems and do what you are good at. ”
In the United States in particular, Ibrahimovic’s statements came under fire and James has since made himself heard. After the victory over Portland Trail Blazers, the basketball player was confronted with the statements of Ibrahimovic. “I will never keep my mouth shut about things that are wrong,” James told American media Friday night. “I talk about my people and I talk about inequality, social injustice, racism, systematic oppression of voters, things that are happening in our community and that I have seen because I was part of that community.”
“I still know what’s going on, because I have a group of over three hundred children in my school who are going through the same thing and they need a voice. I am their voice, “said James of the I Promise School, an Akron, Ohio, elementary school he founded for underprivileged children.” I use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that is happening, both the good and the bad . Not just in my community, but in this country and around the world. I could never just play sports alone because I know how powerful my platform and voice is. ”
James finds it striking that Ibrahimovic thinks he shouldn’t get involved in politics. “It’s funny that he said this precisely because I believe he was the man in 2018 who said he was always treated badly in Sweden. He was talking about the same things, that he was not accepted by his last name and that he felt there was racism, ”said James.