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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Kyrie posting about Alex Jones: “Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes.”



Full bit on Kyrie here:

> There is some irony in this news item coming right after the previous one about the miseducation of American youth. Because Kyrie Irving’s thought process is an example of what happens when the education system fails.

> Last October, I wrote a piece about Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 (“Should We Just ‘Leave Kyrie Alone?”) and why this reckless choice was destructive to the country and especially the Black community where he would be an influential role model. The facts proved that accusation to be true. Irving didn’t care. He continued to promote his anti-vax sentiments—regardless of the cost in lives and health to others—proclaiming himself a “martyr.” Not kidding.

> We might have just left him alone to stew in his own gelatinous ignorance. Rich and famous people get away with saying dumb things all the time because their money isolates them from consequences. They surround themselves with Yes-people whose job is to confirm whatever hare-brained ideas they have. Yes, sir, Mr. Irving, the Earth has never been flatter.

> But now Irving is back and more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly than before. He decided it would be a good idea to post a 2002 video clip from Infowars founder Alex Jones. Yeah, the guy who has been on trial for denying the Sandy Hook shootings and who previously admitted in open court that he’s a performer and his onscreen persona is just a character (that bilks millions of dollars from unaware viewers). The main gist of the clip is a warning about a cabal of international leaders who are secretly releasing plagues on the world from which they can profit. (Of course, we know who really profits from making this claim.)

> Alex Jones is one of the most despicable human beings alive and to associate with him means you share his stench.

> Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes. When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks.

> Irving does not seem to have the capacity to change, but we have the capacity to keep fighting against his brand of destructive behavior. One way to do that, beyond shaking our heads and nasty tweets, is to write to his sponsors and tell them to drop Irving—or you will drop them. Nike has likely decided not to renew his contract past this season. But he is still sponsored by Pepsi and 2K Sports. (Don’t feel bad for Irving: his career earnings at the end of the 2022-’23 season will be $230 million. That buys a lot of Yes-people.)

https://kareem.substack.com/p/kareem-reacts-to-the-news-desantis-6ca

by cesga_0218

38 Comments

  1. Affectionate-Agent-9

    Extremely common Kareem W

    Pretty much a faultless Human Being

  2. The worst part of this is seeing all the smooth brained instagram morons blindly defending kyrie and calling Kareem an “old man yelling at clouds”. Literally saw a comment saying that kyrie never hurt anyone while he’s actively pushing anti-vaxx propaganda.

  3. Kyrie is dumb as hell. And no one in his circle will tell him.

  4. pickle-doofenshmirtz

    If I got called a buffoon, I’d be rethinking my life choices

  5. dustinharm

    Gotta be the GOAT old head athlete if nothing else. Kareem always has thoughtful, intelligent takes on current events.

  6. dezthompson

    >When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society—Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more—it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks.

    -Kyrie donated $1.5 million to WNBA players who otherwise would not have been paid while sitting out of the league’s restart last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    -donated $323,000 toward feeding New York City families at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

    -He partnered with Nike to donate 17 pallets of food and 50,000 masks to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, of which he identifies.

    -Most recently, he bought a home for the family of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer that kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite Floyd having died after

    From Dec. 1-11, Irving made donations and charitable gestures every single day.

    -He donated money to Brooklyn’s Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change.

    -He donated money as a reward to a Bronx family of four that gritted their way from a homeless shelter into permanent housing.

    -He paid the college tuition for nine high school seniors who committed to Lincoln University, a historically black college (HBCU).

    -He donated school supplies to 25 teenage Kenyan girls through an organization dedicated to advocating for women and girls impacted by past trauma.

    -He donated 100 book bags with personal care items to teens and young adults at Newark’s Covenant House shelter.

    -He donated soil to Greater Newark Conservancy.

    -He donated funds to Christine’s Kitchen, a food pantry and soup kitchen in West Orange, NJ.

    Idk man, id call that actually improving society. You can talk about his controversial beliefs but Kyrie has done a lot for a lot of people

  7. nigelfitz

    Kareem showing Kyrie how to actually be smart.

    And that’s a long ass burn that unfortunately, Kyrie will not likely read.

  8. Low-Exam1208

    Kareem so intelligent and wise. Played through racism in Milwaukee and delt with real injustices to the black community in the 50s and 60s.

  9. tarantinostoeblast

    This fucking idiot thinks being contrarian for the sake of it is his entire identity.

    It’s like if an 18 year old never learned how society operated and just kept being a teenager. Fuck him and his stupid ass beliefs.

  10. Soji_Juice

    Kareem always has something to say about black celebs but I’m still waiting on his research paper about Brett Favre and MS state leadership stealing millions from poor Mississippians.

    He just has to be more critical of the people who are actually propitiating systemic racism than he is toward black celebrity figures.

  11. SuperstarTraxRecords

    Vintage choke slam from Kareem. Don’t piss him off.

  12. Delanorix

    Instead of LeBron, it should be Carmelo, but other than, I completely agree with Kareem

  13. BoogerPresley

    Two types of people in this thread: those who agree with Kareem, and those who have lost a lot of money investing in crypto

  14. This gotta be the third time Kareem has sonned Kyrie right?

  15. SomeGuyOnHisPC

    Reminder that Kareem went to college for 4-years and was an actual Civil Rights leader

  16. LarryTheLobstar

    I have an idea. Stop letting your kids look up to athletes. I remember liking the heck out of Brett Farve and looked how that turned out.

  17. sersleepsalot1

    Wow! Kareem did not hold his punches. I hope Kyrie reads this. It’s the most the elaborate and well said “Fuck You” in NBA.

  18. grudgepacker

    Kareem still dropping sky hooks on all the morons lmao – and just watch as cube comes out to make another antisemitic rebuttal against him

  19. I wish there was a current player or at least someone younger too to call out Kyrie for his BS. I feel like the younger folks will just look at Kareem as the out of touch old man.

  20. If a concussion was in human form, Kyrie would be it whenever he opens his mouth.

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