LeBron James doesn’t like to be told to shut up and dribble and has gained a reputation for activism and speaking out against social injustice. However, A.C. Milan soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic stated that James and other athletes should focus on their sports and leave politics alone during a recent interview with UEFA for Discovery+ in Sweden.
“[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he’s doing, but I don’t like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time,” Ibrahimovic said. “Do what you’re good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I’m the best at playing football. I don’t do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics.”
“That is the big first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn’t look good.”
James is a sports star who continually uses his platform to shine a light on police brutality and racism in America. The NBA champion spoke with reporters on Friday, Feb. 26, about refusing to be silenced.
“At the end of the day, I would never shut up about things that are wrong,” explained James. “I preach about my people and I preach about inequality, social injustice, racism, systematic voter suppression, things that go on in our community because I was part of my community at one point and seeing things that are going on. I know what’s going on still because I have a group of 300-plus kids at my school that are going through the same thing and they need a voice.”
