Zlatan Ibrahimovic takes dig at NBA star LeBron James, asks him to stay out of politics

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic expressed utmost respect for Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James' basketball prowess. However, he wishes the four-time NBA champion does not get involved in political matters. With the topic already controversial, fans reacted accordingly on Twitter. Many praised Ibrahimovic, while others defended James. 

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What did Zlatan Ibrahimovic say about LeBron James?

‘I don’t like when people, when they have some kind of status, and they do politics at the same time as what they are doing.’

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says LeBron James and other high profile athletes should simply stick to sports. 👀

(🎥: @dplus_sportSE) pic.twitter.com/zDHzKbWnJt

— theScore (@theScore) February 26, 2021

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. 

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He added that he plays football, and is not a politician. If he had been, he would speak on politics. "This is the first mistake famous people do when they become famous: for me it is better to avoid certain topics and do what you’re good doing, otherwise you risk doing something wrongly". 

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LeBron James politics, Black Lives Matter stand

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. 

On Ibrahimovic's comment, fans spoke about the football star taking his own advice, and not calling out James. "Perhaps he should take his own advice and not tell others his opinion. Everyone is free to say what they want and believe in with politics," one user wrote, noting how everyone is equally affected by political issues. Others noted that while James is speaking up, he sits on a privileged seat now. 

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(Image credits: LeBron James, Zlatan Ibrahimovic Instagram)