Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Says Fans Prefer Magic Johnson Because He 'Made White People Feel Comfortable'

[superunknown23]

Larry Bird didn't have a dynamic personality but they just equated that to being shy.

Joe DiMaggio was much worse than Barry Bonds to the media, but they equated it to being reserved/private/dignified.

Anyway, Jim Brown is the one black athlete who never gave a fukk about the media at all. Dude could be real mean. That's why they don't even try to shyt on him.
Even c00ns stay silent about him

 

[Biscayne]

The more I hear/read about Kareem the less I like him. It seems like he's bitter about everything, his basketball career, his treatment by the media, and the lack of respect he gets. But you can't have it both ways...because he benefited greatly from the celebrity/fame/fortune that basketball afforded him, but shunned anything that had to do with his responsibilities. I mean the guy was appointed as a global cultural ambassador by the White House, a position no one put a gun to his head and made him accept. Is it really that difficult to conduct yourself in a fitting way? If he was just cordial with people throughout his career do you think a player of his caliber would have to self-advocate for a statue?

Chances are he isn't a best selling author, he definitely isn't doing movies, and he wouldn't have been at the Playboy Mansion because of books. And to be honest, KAJ didn't have an average black man's existence from the time he picked up a basketball. It's like he's chasing the credibility Ali, Brown, and Russell got for activism.

He doesn't seem authentic/confident in his own skin. Maybe that's because he grew up so structured...maybe it's because he was told how to worship, who to marry, even who not NOT invite to his wedding (his parents). But I thought he missed out on a GREAT opportunity to revamp his image and publicly come out against Islamophobia. But it'd go against him being the aloof, private guy that didn't let you into his world...

I'd look at Barry Bonds the same way if he came out trying to redefine his legacy after spending all his career not giving a fukk what everyone thinks. At this point, it seems KAJ did whatever was most convenient for him personally, at that moment in time. And now he's living with the long term repercussions as it pertains to his legacy.

"Didn't have an average Black mans existence"

He may have been a professional athlete, but he still dealt with racism. Like the average black man did/does. I don't think his conversion and his activism and pro-black sentiments were inauthentic. I don't think he was trying to chase anyones image. He was just trying to mold his own. Honestly, sports fans are some of the most selfish and entitled people on this planet, especially when it comes to the black athletes(there are people who still think Jim Brown's a jerk). They want to dictate when you can be happy and what you should be happy about. They want Black athletes to only be outspoken on issues that make them comfortable. An athlete will be labeled as closed off for not tripping over themselves to speak to media or to sign autographs. KAJ's a grown man, yeah books didn't put him in all these great situations where he's hanging out with other celebrities, but his passion is writing, and he's written for many publications and written many books. If his writing is the next chapter of his life in which he wants people to focus on, than why not? And yeah, the Lakers dropped the ball for not building a statue of him. Dude won 5 with the Lakers, he shouldn't have to politic and be Mr.Nice Guy to get his due.

 

[PointGuard]

Kareem is highly intelligent and happened to have the talent to play basketball and make a living at it. Basketball is not who he is. He's an introvert by choice because he took the "red pill" long ago, thus never getting caught up in this current materialistic, pretentious world we live in, ruled by spirits with a lower vibration, which goes against who he is. Why should he lower himself or his spiritual vibration to whoever? Kareem has never compromised who HE is, which speaks volumes and you can't understand why the European ruled media hate him? He never joined their "Smile and say Cheese Club", like Magic. Salute my brother.

 

[FaTaL]

I wonder how his son makes white people feel?

 

[Dark Horse]

"Didn't have an average Black mans existence"

In what sense? People saying mean shyt to him? He didn't experience barriers to education, where he could live or who would hire him. That was the 'average' black man's existence. shyt, the racism Kareem experienced back then is still probably lesser than the average black man's in 2015.

I don't think his conversion and his activism and pro-black sentiments were inauthentic. I don't think he was trying to chase anyones image. He was just trying to mold his own. Honestly, sports fans are some of the most selfish and entitled people on this planet, especially when it comes to the black athletes(there are people who still think Jim Brown's a jerk). They want to dictate when you can be happy and what you should be happy about. They want Black athletes to only be outspoken on issues that make them comfortable. An athlete will be labeled as closed off for not tripping over themselves to speak to media or to sign autographs. KAJ's a grown man, yeah books didn't put him in all these great situations where he's hanging out with other celebrities, but his passion is writing, and he's written for many publications and written many books. If his writing is the next chapter of his life in which he wants people to focus on, than why not? And yeah, the Lakers dropped the ball for not building a statue of him. Dude won 5 with the Lakers, he shouldn't have to politic and be Mr.Nice Guy to get his due.

He acted like playing basketball for people's enjoyment was a fukking burden. If he was so out of place in the NBA, nobody was forcing him to be there. And guess what, 99% of all jobs have shyt bout them you aren't gonna enjoy doing. At the end of the day he was an entitled athlete. And to disrespect Magic...who do you think's doing more for the black community? Magic built and developed relationships that made his post playing career easy. KAJ struggled to land an assistant coaching gig (note a profession not driven by media perception)

Who else with a fukking BA in history gets appointed as a global cultural ambassador by the White House to promote education and cultural understanding? Everything you see Kareem doing is because he was really good at putting a ball in a hole. Including the books he 'authored'. All this talk bout education coming from him is bullshyt...man your ass been retired for almost 30 years. If it was SO important, why didn't you go back on your own time? A BA in history gets an 'average black man' student loans with no prospects of employment...

 

[Remote]

Kareem's right.



It's the same reason why Kevin Hart is so popular.

 

[Warren Moon]

I smoked a blunt with Kareem at a bootsie Collins concert. Goat moment

 

[R=G]

Didn't read the OP

But it's wild that at 68yrs Old Lew Al is still going HAM on the white man

Why wouldn't he? Cops are mowing motherf1ckers down every day for just having darker skin.

 

[MJ Truth]

good read....and his comment on Magic, while probably not needing to be said, wasn't a shot at Magic as a person.

He clearly dislikes white people tho it seems. lol
But to be someone who grew up in his time and had his negative experiences, that's his prerogative.

Some peoples brains just aren't wired to simply accept the unfair way this world is.

Yeah, and those are the type of people who actually make changes in this world.

 

[superunknown23]

Yeah, and those are the type of people who actually make changes in this world.

Yeah, they think he should've stayed silent and just take the abuse (same for freedom riders and civil rights activists in the 50s and 60s). They embrace this cac-ish "racism is over" shyt.

These "New Blacks" today are an embarrassment

 

[mastermind]

He was also a no-show at his Hall of Fame induction

im pretty sure you mean Jersey number retirement ceremony at the old Boston Garden.

edit: you are right

When Russell was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1975, he did not attend for "personal reasons." Speculation has been that he was unhappy that no other African-American players had been elected previously.

He also shunned the retiring of his No. 6 at Boston Garden in 1972.

 

[superunknown23]

im pretty sure you mean Jersey number retirement ceremony at the old Boston Garden.

edit: you are right

Yup, he skipped both ceremonies.
I couldn't believe it when my dad told me that shyt. But it made sense when you consider the shyt he went thru.

 

[Big Boss]

I smoked a blunt with Kareem at a bootsie Collins concert. Goat moment

 

[Rekkapryde]

Thread title did a brilliant job of dumbing down the textured and nuanced talk Cap spoke on.

You forgot where you are fam..

 

[Supa]

I would agree but he been saying some c00n shyt lately.

He basically was the Richard Sherman of his day.

Say some real shyt about race on one hand. Then say some c00n shyt on the other hand.

You can't use the word c00n when referring to Kareem. Yeah I don't agree with his stances as of late but I'll chalk that up to old age softening him up. He's put in enough work to not have his name sullied like that.