Los Angeles Lakers star and face of the NBA LeBron James caused quite the stir last week, posting a meme to social media which appeared to question COVID-19, seemingly comparing it to the cold and the flu.
James, who informed reporters at Lakers Media Day in September that he was fully vaccinated, was widely criticized on social media, with many viewing the post as downplaying the virus. You can count the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as one who did not appreciate James’ implication in his Instagram post.
On Monday, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar penned a letter to James, titled “Dear LeBron: Here’s the COVID-19 Help You Requested in Your Spider-Man Meme.”
In the letter, Abdul-Jabbar accused James of giving “support to those not getting vaccinated, which makes the situation for all of worse by postponing our health and economic recovery.” Kareem referenced James’ 106 million followers on Instagram, saying that the amount of people who follow James makes his post “politically impactful.”
“By posting the uninformed meme, LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote after citing that unvaccinated individuals are more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19 complications.
James kept his vaccination status private up until Lakers Media Day, saying that he was initially hesitant to receive the jab.
“I know that for me I can speak about myself,” James said in September. “I think everyone has their own choice to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family, and things of that nature. I know that I was very [skeptical] about it all, but after doing my research, and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited for not only me but for my family and for my friends, and that’s why I decided to do it.”
James was pressed by a reporter if the issue of vaccines was “important enough” for someone with his platform to speak out, to which James said it was not his place to tell people what to do with their bodies.
“We’re talking about individuals’ bodies,” James said when elaborating on his decision. “We’re not talking about something that’s political or racism or police brutality or things of that nature. We’re talking about people’s bodies and well-being. So I don’t feel like for me personally that I should get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and their livelihoods.”
Abdul-Jabbar took umbrage with James’ statement in his Monday letter, saying that the topic of the COVID-19 vaccine is in fact about politics and racism, pointing out that black Americans are more likely to die from COVID-19.
“As of December 2020, about 97.9 out of every 100,000 African Americans had died from COVID-19, a third higher than that for Latinos (64.7 per 100,000), and more than double than that for whites (46.6 per 100,000) and Asians (40.4 per 100,000),” Abdul-Jabbar wrote.
“Vaccine hesitancy is higher in the Black community than in any other,” he continued. “While there are certainly justifiable historical reasons for Blacks to be skeptical of the health care system that has routinely marginalized, ignored, and even illegally experimented on them, that is not enough to justify compromising their health and even losing their lives during the current health crisis.
Abdul-Jabbar called on James, who has been a vocal advocate for the social justice movement, to also advocate for vaccines.
“One way to help the Black community to overcome their hesitancy and save lives is for prominent Black celebrities and influencers to continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and their boosters,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “Immunization, whether from vaccines or having had the disease, lessens over time and makes people vulnerable for reinfection.”
“While LeBron is a necessary and dynamic voice critical of police brutality against the Black community, he needs to be the same necessary and dynamic advocate with vaccines, which could save thousands of Black lives right now. The racism is just as real—and just as lethal—in both cases.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].