Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to LeBron James: "Dancing is not GOAT behavior"
Kareem shares why he doesn't support LeBron and his celebration
After Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James pulled out the "big balls" dance in their overtime win over the Indiana Pacers, the NBA immediately fined him $15,000. The celebration, made famous by Sam Cassell, has been banned by the league since the 2010-11 NBA season.
It wasn't just the league keeping close tabs on players who decide to pull out the lewd celebration. Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has been a sharp and gregarious spectator for the last couple of months, saw James' behavior and decided to share his thoughts. For him, players in the Greatest of all Time conversations show respect to their foes. They do not celebrate by showing off their big balls through a dance.
"For me, winning is enough. Why do you need to do a stupid childish dance and disrespect the other team on the court? It doesn't make sense. GOATs don't dance," " rel="noreferrer noopener">Abdul-Jabbar said.
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Abdul-Jabbar is well-aware that James is in the running for the coveted GOAT crown. James has the rings and individual accomplishments in check. But for the former Lakers center, his behavior in Indiana might cost him several votes.
Perhaps Abdul-Jabbar is speaking from experience. The center is known for his calm and all-business demeanor on the floor. We only see a tinge of emotion from him when the Lakers are about to win the crown. Unfortunately, only Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain are constantly mentioned in GOAT debates. Only the real ones include Abdul-Jabbar in these debates.
But the reality is, Abdul-Jabbar is probably the most accomplished basketball player in all history. Not only is he a six-time NBA champion, but he's also a three-time NCAA champion. In high school, he was also a three-time champion and led the team to a 71-game winning streak at one point. Among the plethora of his individual accomplishments, it's worth noting that he's still the all-time scoring leader in the NBA with 38,387 points.
One would think that Abdul-Jabbar is lambasting at James again to become relevant and stay in the consciousness of basketball fans. He doesn't need any attention at this point in his life. Instead, he just wants to remind fans how real GOATs behave.
