Posted on 10/04/2022 7:08:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Kyrie Irving’s tacit endorsement of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones last month flew under the radar. That is until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put the Nets star on blast, ripping his “gelatinous ignorance” and accusing him of tarnishing the reputations of all athletes.
“Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people,” Abdul-Jabbar, 75, wrote on his Substack.
Irving is unquestionably a Hall of Fame-level talent and has always been respectful of the basketball icons that came before him. But six-time NBA MVP Abdul-Jabbar — viewed by many other stars as the greatest of all time and also a staunch activist on social issues — unleashed a scathing critique of Irving.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
“... if an athlete is paid a
million or more a year, he knows he is important ... so his opinions of
foreign affairs and domestic policies must be important, too, even
though he proves himself to be ignorant and sub-literate every time
he/she opens his/her mouth.” — Robert A. Heinlein
~~~
Atheletes and celebrities have always felt they were important. People treat them like they can do no wrong. They are shielded and given the royal treatment wherever they go.
I don’t think this is a new phenomenon at all.
What is new is not just that they can get their opinions out there instantly on platforms like twitter, whereas they used to have to be in public and find a microphone somewhere, but now you have thousands of websites competing to push the most sensational or controversial “information”. It’s the click-bait era. Back in the day, if it was sensationalist enough, you might just get a blurb on “entertainment tonight” or you’ve really hit the big time if you make the nightly news or the forward pages of the news rag.
Controversial comments and little tiffs between celebrities never used to get mainlined into the media.
“But six-time NBA MVP Abdul-Jabbar — viewed by many other stars as the greatest of all time…”
That would be Michael Jordan.
L
Heinlein sure had our time pegged, didn’t he.
L
Jabbar was a member of the racist Black Muslim movement. He was associated with a group that committed a massacre in DC back in the 70s.
The greatest athlete to even grace a basketball court, was Michael Jordan, hands down. Not even close.
Not only was Jordan the best offensive player in his era, but he was also one of the best defensive players in his era.
Michael Jordan was arguably the best basketball player to ever grace a basketball court, but Wilt Chamberlain was unquestionably the greatest athlete to ever grace a basketball court, one of the greatest athletes of any sport.
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