Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock; Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
Kareem Abdul-Jabbaris apologizing toLeBron Jamesafter publicly criticizing the Los Angeles Lakers star on Sunday for doing actions that are “beneath him” and “embarrassing” as an athlete of his status.
“I’ve been talking to the press since high school. That’s 60 years of making statements. And I haven’t always gotten it right. And Sunday was one of those nights,” he said on Sirius XM NBA radio Monday,ESPNreports.
“It wasn’t my intention to criticize LeBron in any way. He’s done so much for the Black community as well as for the game of basketball,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “We may not always agree, but I want to whole-heartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him. If he can accept that, I’ll be very happy.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Joe Scarnici/Getty
Speaking to reporters, the Hall of Famer detailed two moments where James did things that Abdul-Jabbar felt were “beneath him.”
“I think he has so much going for him in terms of respect and accomplishment and he shouldn’t stoop to those moments,” he added.
LeBron James.Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
James has previously declined to address any of Abdul-Jabbar’s criticism.
James — who currently sits in second place behind Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leading scorer — did not play in Sunday’s game, where the Lakers fell to the Nuggets 129-118, due to an ankle injury.
The Lakers also lost 121-110 to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, also without James, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
source: people.com
