Media

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar annihilates John Stockton for saying pro athletes have died from vaccines

Published by
Peter Dewey

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ripped fellow Hall of Famer John Stockton for his comments on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stockton wrongly claimed that 150 athletes have died from taking the COVID-19 vaccine, and Abdul-Jabbar responded in an interview with CNN’s John Berman.

“I think statements like that make the public look upon athletes basically as dumb jocks, for trying to explain away something that is obviously a pandemic,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

Abdul-Jabbar went on to explain his support for testing and vaccinations to help end the pandemic that has ravaged the United States and the world since 2020.

“I don’t understand anyone saying anything else,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “It doesn’t make sense what he’s saying. This is a preventative measure that has been useful in many different circumstances.”

Stockton has been very outspoken against the vaccine, but Abdul-Jabbar pointed out that Stockton’s claims are not based on facts.

“I think John’s reaction to the vaccine is extreme and not based on reality or facts,” said Abdul-Jabbar. “If John could just check the facts out he would understand that this vaccine is saving lives and preventing people from having serious reactions to the virus. It won’t eliminate the virus overnight, but it will stop people from dying and will stop people from becoming seriously ill.”

While the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t make one immune to the virus, it reduces the chance of being hospitalized or dying from coronavirus.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was a 19-time All-Star during his playing career, has been a major advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine and education since the beginning of the pandemic.

The six-time MVP is one of the most respected members of the NBA community, but it remains to be seen whether or not Stockton will take anything Abdul-Jabbar said and apply it to his own views.

Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 seasons with the Lakers and is one of the most storied players in franchise history, as he finished his NBA career with six NBA titles and scored the most points in NBA history.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

5-time NBA champion says ‘no real fans care’ about Lakers’ success in NBA Cup

The Los Angeles Lakers have started their NBA Cup schedule off on the right foot…

November 21, 2024

LeBron makes stunning announcement as he takes step back on social media

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James uploaded a screenshot of a social media post on…

November 20, 2024

Private message revealed that Austin Reaves sent Dalton Knecht before they knew they’d be teammates

Los Angeles Lakers players Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht were familiar with one another before…

November 20, 2024

Iman Shumpert says LeBron ruined today’s game by forming superteams

The proliferation of superteams in the NBA arguably became normalized once LeBron James teamed up…

November 19, 2024

Shaq says he’ll fight Dwight Howard under certain conditions

Dwight Howard has a compelling case to one day be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial…

November 18, 2024

Report: J.J. Redick admires Serbian coaching, wants to send sons to go to basketball camp there

There are several productive players in the NBA right now who grew up in the…

November 18, 2024