Lakers News

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s classy response to Don Lemon saying Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime at age 51

Published by
Zach Stevens

CNN commentator Don Lemon has drawn criticism for implying that Nikki Haley, a Republican who has just announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, isn’t in her prime at age 51.

“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” said Lemon. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are something if not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”

Lemon took to Twitter to elaborate on what exactly he meant while apologizing, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a classy statement in response.

Haley will be challenging former president Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. She recently proposed “mandatory mental competency tests” for politicians who are over 75 years of age, which would apply to both Trump and current commander-in-chief Joe Biden.

When it comes to someone whose prime extended well past what one would expect, Abdul-Jabbar rewrote the book back in the 1980s.

Even as he got into his late 30s, he was still a premier player.

Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA Finals MVP award in 1985 when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics for the first time in the championship series. In that series, he averaged 25.7 points on 60.4 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while going up against Hall of Famers Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.

The man known for the skyhook played 20 seasons at a time when doing so was unheard of, and he only showed his age at the very end of his career.

Since retiring, Abdul-Jabbar has done an admirable job of being a social activist, not just when it comes to civil rights for Black individuals, but he has also advocated for various causes across the social justice landscape.

He became the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer in 1984, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain, and that record stood until last week when LeBron James surpassed it.

Abdul-Jabbar showed great class during the event, as he appeared at center court with James as he was being honored at Crypto.com Arena.

Zach Stevens

Zach has always had a profound love and respect for the Lakers that has inspired him to write about the franchise. He has a great deal of admiration for LeBron James, and his overall knowledge about the NBA has made him a solid addition to the Lakers Daily staff.

Published by
Zach Stevens

Recent Posts

‘LeBron makes the trades’: Carmelo Anthony speaks out on chances of Lakers dealing LeBron James

Amid chatter about the future of 20-time All-Star LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers,…

December 20, 2024

DeMarcus Cousins says he and Anthony Davis would’ve helped Pelicans become contenders if not for ‘dumba-s’ Dell Demps

Former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins called out former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell…

December 19, 2024

Darvin Ham fires massive shot at Lakers: ‘Anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension’

Darvin Ham has had more NBA Cup success than any coach in the league since…

December 18, 2024

Bobby Portis on the difference between the Bucks and the Lakers: ‘We’re not Hollywood’

The Milwaukee Bucks captured the 2024 NBA Cup title with a 97-81 victory over the…

December 18, 2024

Report: Lakers are not interested in shopping LeBron, Anthony Davis unless they ask out

Perhaps no two players have contributed more to the Los Angeles Lakers since the start…

December 18, 2024

Lakers insider identifies big indicator of LeBron’s decline that he’s noticed this season

Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha has noticed that superstar LeBron James is calling out…

December 17, 2024