Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Abdul-Jabbar, having re-entered the world of the NBA just as he and Magic Johnson began their run in the early 1980s (and after they, and Larry Bird, retired, I stopped watching the game because it became unwatchable, “look-at-me” nonsense…but I digress).
More important, with 1.65 million Twitter followers, Jabbar reaches a big audience, part of which I am guessing does not see other political analysis. He stands as a symbol, as well, to all the other athletes who stay silent lest they endanger endorsements, certainly that’s true of athletes still playing but it’s also true for those who have retired (exemplified by Michael Jordan–who, with a single phone call or public statement, probably could have stopped Nike from doing business with child slave labor factories in China).
So, Kareem, you have the stage.
