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NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says his criticisms of LeBron James over the weekend were not intended to be "a slam or a bard or even a finger wag."
The clarification stems from an exchange Abdul-Jabbar had while speaking to reporters on Sunday at the unveiling of his Social Champion Trophy, where he commended James for his activism before saying he should be "embarrassed" by some of his decisions away from the basketball court, specifically his handling of being a prominent voice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement shared on social media by NBA.com writer Mark Medina, Abdul-Jabbar clarified that his comments were made "in the spirit of a loving older brother" and that he still sees James as a "major force in improving lives in the Black community." The full comments, Abdul-Jabbar said, were a summation of his prior statements on James -- the good and the bad -- instead of being novel condemnation and praise.
Abdul-Jabbar, who has advocated for the use of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the pandemic, previously took issue with James in December after he posted a Spider-Man meme with "flu," "cold" and "covid" all pointing at each other, baselessly insinuating they are all the same. Abdul-Jabbar called it "a blow to his worthy legacy" at the time.
Despite saying he received the COVID-19 vaccine, James has stated he was reluctant, and said it was "not (his) job" to advocate for it.
"[I have] a higher expectation for (James) because he understands the issues and spoken to them quite forcefully and eloquently," Abdul-Jabbar said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I think he has so much going for him in terms of respect and accomplishment and he shouldn't stoop to those moments."
Abdul-Jabbar issued a follow-up statement Sunday night after his comments went viral. In the statement, he made reference to a past article he had written in Sports Illustrated when James won the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award for social activism.
"On occasion I have chided LeBron when I thought he was dropping the ball when it came to supporting the community. But I did so in the spirit of a loving older brother offering guidance, whether wanted or not," the statement reads. "So when I think he may be veering from the path that made him win that award, I'll mention it. I'm a journalist. That's what I do.
"But I believe LeBron is strong enough and gracious enough to understand that I have only love for him in my heart."
Abdul-Jabbar also said he wouldn't mind meeting with James to discuss their differences regarding vaccine advocacy, according to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post.
James and Abdul-Jabbar's legacies as basketball players are increasingly linked of late as James continues his chase to break Abdul-Jabbar's record as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. James is currently in second place with 37,062 points, while Abdul-Jabbar leads with 38,387.
Despite James being on track to pass Abdul-Jabbar as soon as next season, the six-time NBA champion says he's not jealous.
"I think it's about time, I'm not gonna get jealous of LeBron, he's earned it. To see him go through all of this and end up being the top scorer is a pretty neat thing," he said.
