Zlatan vs Lebron: Lakers star hits out at Ibrahimovic after Swede told him to “stick to sports”
- Zlatan, in an interview, called out athletes involved in sports, saying it made them “look bad”
- He was particularly critical of Lebron James, who has been very active off the court over the past year
- Lebron hit out by suggesting there was some hypocrisy in Zlatan’s criticism
- The basketball star also vowed to keep using his influence to force positive change
- Ibrahimovic’s time at MLS club LA Galaxy coincided with James’s first season with the Lakers
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently provoked a response from Lebron James after suggesting the LA Lakers star should “stick to basketball”.
Source: Getty Images
The AC Milan striker appeared in an interview with UEFA for Discovery+ in Sweden and was thoroughly critical of athletes involved in politics.
According to Zlatan, it made the athletes “look bad”.
"LeBron is phenomenal at what he is doing, but I don't like when people have some status; they go and do politics at the same time," the Swede was quoted as saying by USA Today.
"Do what you are good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I am the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I were a politician, I would do politics," he added.
It didn’t take long for Lebron to hit back at Zlatan, as he suggested there was some hypocrisy in the Swede’s sentiments.
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"He was the same guy who said when he was back in Sweden... because his last name wasn't a certain last name, that he felt there was some racism going on when he was out on the pitch," James said.
"I speak from a very educated mind, so I am the wrong guy actually to go for because I do my homework," he continued.
Source: Getty Images
Lebron referred to Zlatan's statement sometime back when he claimed there was “undercover racism” going on in his native Sweden because of some prejudice over his second name, which inclined more on his Bosnian roots.
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The LA Lakers star, considered one of the best at basketball in history, is highly active off the court and has been involved in social and political works.
He was at the forefront of the popular Black Lives Matter movement for a greater part of 2020 after George Floyd's death at the hands of US police officers.
Lebron, 36, also helped organise the "More Than a Vote" campaign to encourage Americans to go to polling stations.
As far as Zlatan’s comments about him were concerned, Lebron maintained his off-the-court moves were well researched and bore meaning.
"So, there is no way I would ever stick to sport because I understand how this platform and how powerful my voice is," he stated.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlie reported that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario De Lima the greatest footballer in history, Goal.
The Swedish striker put the two-time World Cup winner ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo de Lima won the Ballon d'Or three times before retiring from the game and played for top European clubs like PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor with Legit.ng and has 7 years of field and office experience. He graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in English and Literature Studies. Akan intends to educate, inform and make readers passionate about sports. Learn more about him on his Twitter handle: @ anwankwo_akan
Source: Legit.ng
