Last week, LeBron James told reporters that he believed the decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a personal choice and not something political.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar disagreed and penned an essay titled “Why LeBron Is Wrong About “Honoring” Vaccination Hesitancy,” — challenging James’ views.
“I’m a huge fan of LeBron James, both as one of the greatest basketball players ever and as a humanitarian who cares about social injustice,” Abdul-Jabbar writes. “I have written his praises many times in the past and undoubtedly will in the future. I admire him and have affection for him. But this time LeBron is just plain wrong—and his being wrong could be deadly, especially to the Black community.”
Draymond Green also aired his opinions on the vaccine. He says that people should not be pressured into receiving the jab.
“We’re dealing with something that, to me, feels like has turned into a political war. When you’re talking about [vaccinated] and non-vaccinated, I think it’s become very political,” he declared. “And for someone who’s not extremely into politics, when you make something so political and not everyone is into politics, then you can also turn those people off, you know?”
Abdul-Jabbar had a few words for Draymond too.
“On the surface, it appears that Draymond and LeBron are arguing for the American ideal of individual freedom of choice. But they offer no arguments in support of it, nor do they define the limits of when one person’s choice is harmful to the community,” he continues.
The COVID vaccine remains a controversial topic. While people remain skeptical of the fairly recent jab, the virus has caused millions of deaths worldwide — more than 700,000 in the U.S. alone.
The situation is critical.
“While some who don’t get the vaccine might never get sick or if they do suffer mild symptoms, they are still unknowingly spreading the disease to others, killing some. While we’re honoring the unvaccinated, COVID cases are rising alarmingly among young children,” Abdul-Jabbar asserts.
