Published 10:13 IST, March 4th 2021
Enes Kanter, Jeremy Lin support LeBron James; weigh in on Zlatan Ibrahimovic comments
Enes Kanter and Jeremy Lin come forward in LeBron James' support, call out AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic about his comments on King James and politics.
A few days ago, AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic commented on LeBron James, and how the Los Angeles Lakers star should stay away from voicing his political opinion. While Ibrahimovic explained his views, he had already been called out by fans and other athletes. Many James fans defended and supported the NBA icon, happy that he is using his platform to raise his voice against matters like inequality and police brutality.
Enes Kanter, Jeremy Lin react to Zlatan Ibrahimovic comments
On his Instagram story, Jeremy Lin spoke about the Zlatan-James situation. As per the 32-year-old player (often speaking up on social and political issues), no one seems to complain about donations athletes make. However, according to Lin, when an athlete chooses to voice their opinion instead of shelling out money, people have a problem.
Enes Kanter chose to tweet about Zlatan's words. He explained that when an athlete speaks up, it is not for fun and attention, but for holding the regimes accountable. He further slammed Ibrahimovic for his comments, adding that only someone arrogant can tell people not to stand up for justice.
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Zlatan on LeBron James
While speaking to UEFA and Discovery+ Sweden, Ibrahimovic spoke about athletes in general, and how they should refrain from getting into political discussions. He went ahead and spoke about LeBron James and how an athlete should stay an athlete. "He’s phenomenal, but I don’t like when people with a ‘status’ speak about politics. Do what you’re good doing," he said.
James also responded to Ibrahimovic, stating that he will not stop speaking up on what matters. "There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand this platform and how powerful my voice is," James said while talking to the reporters.
LeBron James activism
When James started playing, he seldom spoke about political issues. However, with Donald Trump being elected as president, James became increasingly vocal about issues surrounding the country. Last year, James and other NBA players took a strong stand against police brutality as the Black Lives Matter movement took over the nation.
James even worked on voting, starting More Than a Vote before the November elections. Fans have supported James, most of them looking forward to someone like him take a stand. However, the 'shut and dribble' narrative has also been spoken about often, extending to both NBA and WNBA players.
(Image credits: Enes Kanter, LeBron James and Zlatan Ibrahimovic Instagram)
Updated 10:13 IST, March 4th 2021