There is no question that the NBA is being heavily impacted by the Omicron variant, as new players are entering health and safety protocols daily.
On Christmas Eve, LeBron James posted a cryptic meme of three Spider-Men pointing at each other. The superheroes were labeled “COVID,” “flu,” and “cold,” with the caption: “Help me out folks.” This post grabbed the attention of many, including one of the NBA’s most respected legends.
On Dec. 27, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a blog that was titled, “Dear LeBron: Here’s the COVID-19 Help You Requested In Your Spider-Man Meme.” In the blog, Abdul-Jabbar says the meme was a blow to James’ legacy, and that it shows James doesn’t understand something that we’ve all received information about from the press.
James was asked about the essay a day later after their game, and he tried to offer some clarity.
“No. I don’t have a response to Kareem at all,” James said in a post-game interview. “And if you saw the post and read the tag, you know that I’m literally, honestly asking, help me out.”
James goes on about the three infections and how people may be forgetting about the flu and the cold.
“We’re all trying to figure out COVID and the new strain. And the flu, I think people forgot about the flu. People like literally forgot about the flu during these times, like that’s still going around. It’s flu season, so people have forgot about the flu. People have forgot about common colds. That happens, especially with a lot of our kids that’s in school.”
Comparisons to the flu and cold have been used when discussing COVID-19, but one has caused more deaths and hospitalizations than the other two. From his comments, it looks like James may still be confused.
