Kobe Bryant blast back at Jim Brown for calling him ‘culturally ignorant’

A cadre of politically conscious black athletes showed solidarity in supporting Muhammad Ali (bottom, 2nd from left) who refused to be inducted into the armed forces during the Vietnam War. left to right: Bill Russell, Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabarr
A cadre of politically conscious black athletes showed solidarity in supporting Muhammad Ali (bottom, 2nd from left) who refused to be inducted into the armed forces during the Vietnam War; left to right: Bill Russell, Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kobe Bryant was set aflame by football legend Jim Brown during the “Arsenio Hall Show” for being a “rat” and for exhibiting cultural confusion in his adult life.


Brown, widely considered the greatest NFL player ever, came of prominence during the turbulent ’60s when black athletes often risked their careers — and even freedom — by taking strong political stances for the benefit of the masses of black people. Brown made it unequivocally clear that he doesn’t believe that Kobe Bryant has the mentality nor cultural IQ to have taken the type of stance that he and the likes of Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell and others did.


In fact, when Arsenio Hall broached the topic of Bryant, the first thing that came out of Brown’s mouth was “he threw Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) under the bus.”

Bryant took umbrage at Brown’s assault on his character and level of social consciousness and fired back at Brown. 


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