Kanye West has gone rogue over the past couple of years. Whether it’s a mental health issue, an unmatched desire for attention, or the fact that he may have always been like this and we never knew it. Whatever the case, he just cannot stop spreading hate and misinformation.
Notably, some peoplearound NBA circles have gone as far as to compare Kanye with Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets point guard has also been in the spotlight for his controversial remarks, most recently for sharing an antisemite documentary full of fake quotes and hatred.
That’s why in a recent interview with The Free Press, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discussed how these two guys are dangerous because of how they use their platforms to spread racism.
NBA News: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Says Kyrie, Kanye Enable Racism
(via The Free Press)
“Certain black leaders do exactly what certain white leaders do who want to gather followers, money, and power: They find a scapegoat they can blame. They can’t blame others who are marginalized because of the color of their skin, like Latinx or Asian-Americans, so they go for the default villain of fascists and racists: Jews.
What astounds me is not just the irrationality of it, but how self-destructive it is. Black people have to know that when they mouth antisemitism, they are using the exact same kind of reasoning that white supremacists use against blacks. They are enabling racism. Now they’ve aligned themselves with the very people who would choke out black people, drag them behind a truck, keep them from voting, and maintain systemic racism for another hundred years. They are literally making not only their lives worse, but their children’s lives. The fact that they can’t see that means the racists have won.”
Kareem Says Kyrie Needs To Be Held Accountable For His Words
On the same note, Kareem claims it’s nothing personal against Kyrie. However, he thinks he cannot get away with this just because he’s a famous NBA player who makes other people plenty of money:
“Kyrie Irving may be the sweetest guy in the world at home and among his friends. But once he decides to broadcast his opinions to the world, he needs to be judged only on the content of what he says. (…)We see the same thing for team owners who get treated differently in terms of punishment. When there are so many millions of dollars on the line, the arc of moral justice bends a lot slower.”
Irving was suspended for a handful of games and asked to complete multiple steps before being eligible to rejoin the team, a controversial decision that didn’t sit well with many. Even so, Kareem feels like he got away easily.
