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LeBron James: Political Sports Professional
Photo: VCG / Visual China Group via Getty Images
LeBron James has responded to criticism from Zlatan Ibrahimović.
"I'll never be quiet about things that I think are going wrong," said the Los Angeles Lakers player after a game of basketball.
He decided to talk about things that happened in society, including social injustice and racism.
Ibrahimović, who now plays for AC Milan and previously worked for LA Galaxy in Los Angeles, criticized James and other socially committed athletes in an interview with Discovery Plus.
"He's phenomenal at what he does," he said.
"But I don't like it when people with a certain status deal with politics at the same time."
Rather, one should stick to what one can do best.
“I play soccer because that's what I'm best at.
I'm not into politics. "
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Zlatan Ibrahimović: "I don't deal with politics"
Photo: Nicolò Campo / LightRocket via Getty Images
LeBron James sees it completely differently: "I will use my platform to shed light on everything that is happening in this country and around the world."
He is also involved outside of the sports world because he understands "how powerful this platform and my voice are."
He also criticized Ibrahimović's behavior as contradicting itself: "It's funny that he of all people says that".
It was Ibrahimović himself who complained about similar things in Sweden in 2018.
At the time, the footballer had said about subliminal racism in Sweden and the lack of respect for his surname: "I'm 100 percent sure that it exists because I'm not Andersson or Svensson."
Ibrahimović was born in Malmö and is the son of a father from Bosnia and a mother who was born in Croatia.
The 39-year-old striker is the record scorer for the Swedish national team.
LeBron James is a four-time MVP, 16-time all-star, has won four NBA titles and two Olympic golds, and has broken a number of records.
The 36-year-old will also become the first basketball player to earn more than $ 1 billion in his playing career (read more about it here).
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jpz / dpa