6:00 AM PDT 8/14/2018 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Amid Trump’s national anthem rhetoric, Spike Lee’s latest film and Boots Riley’s ‘Sorry to Bother You’ reinforce satire as the preferred genre of the oppressed, writes the NBA Hall-of-Famer and Hollywood Reporter cultural columnist. “Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work,” observed ex-slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass. To the slave owners, singing slaves …
Read MoreAn open letter to the NFL’s owners (The Guardian)
Tue 31 Jul 2018 04.00 EDT To deny professional athletes the right to express dissent in a peaceful manner is a disgrace to the Constitution, the opposite of patriotism and shameful moral weakness Dear NFL owners: Whew! What a tumultuous year for your league. Slipping attendance and ratings. Continuing concussion controversy. Lawsuits from cheerleaders who refuse to shut up and smile. Domestic violence accusations against players. The Papa John’s founder mouthing …
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: Hollywood’s New “Zero Tolerance” on Offensive Speech Makes Zero Sense (Hollywood Reporter)
6:53 AM PDT 7/24/2018 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director James Gunn’s recent firing over old tweets and a Paramount TV exec’s dismissal amid racially charged comments only reinforce an “atmosphere of fear” and fail to account for the “totality of the person,” writes the Hollywood Reporter columnist. In the iconic TV series Kung Fu, Shaolin newbie Caine is challenged by …
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: Why the Trump Era’s Movie Villains Are “Morally Woke” (Hollywood Reporter)
6:30 AM PDT 7/17/2018 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar From ‘Black Panther’s’ Killmonger to ‘Incredibles 2’s’ Evelyn Deavor, this year’s big-screen baddies are more “conscionable” than the evildoers in the White House and reflect the ultimate problem: “Those who let this despairing situation come about: us.” The three most popular movies of the past few months — Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Incredibles 2 — have presented a …
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Why Ninja Warrior is the sport America needs (The Guardian)
BY: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Wed 11 Jul 2018 05.00 EDT The TV show will never rival any of the major US sports but it teaches us that an athlete’s reach should exceed their grasp As bantering sports commentators, barstool fans and tall, handsome retired athletes endlessly debate which sport will emerge as the future national pastime, a subversive competitor has been muscling up the pop …
Read MoreTrump’s opponents have the moral high-ground. Let’s not squander it (The Guardian)
Tue 3 Jul 2018 08.06 EDT As Americans fear losing hope, some have turned to personal attacks on White House figures. That won’t fix the national crisis n the 1941 noir potboiler movie I Wake Up Screaming, Betty Grable’s character asks a corrupt cop: “What’s the good of living without hope?” To which he replies, “It can be done.” The movie’s title …
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: LeBron James Is “Right Hero at Right Time” for L.A. (The Hollywood Reporter)
5:20 PM PDT 7/2/2018 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar The THR columnist and NBA Hall of Famer welcomes James to the Los Angeles Lakers but says his political activism and Hollywood savvy will make just as big an impact as his basketball. Welcome to La La LeBron Land. LeBron James’ announcement that he is joining the Los Angeles Lakers has many Angelenos celebrating as …
Read MoreKareem Wins 2nd Straight “Columnist of the Year Award” at Los Angeles Press Club’s 60th Annual “Southern California Journalism Awards”
Judges’ comment: Clear voice, compelling writing with a variety of examples to support point of view. Pacing made pieces entertaining.
Read MoreSport molded my character – and Trump has learned none of its lessons (The Guardian)
The best athletes are living embodiments of traits the president is sorely lacking: discipline, hard work, focus, teamwork and sportsmanship Mon 11 Jun 2018 05.00 EDT Donald Trump’s presidency has made one thing agonizingly clear: he doesn’t understand the meaning of sports in America any better than he knows the words to God Bless America. He doesn’t understand athletes, fans, teamwork, or even …
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: How we can really make America great (The Washington Post)
By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar June 5 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a social justice activist and six-time NBA champion. America’s most dangerous enemy is not terrorism, war or immigration. The greatest threat to our country is ignorance. A healthy democracy depends on knowledgeable discourse for survival, but our national conversation is incessantly muddied. Information is twisted, contorted and butchered — so much so that Americans …
Read MoreIs LeBron James a better player than me? Is Hawkeye better than Green Arrow? (The Guardian)
As the NBA finals get started we know LeBron James’s brilliance is undeniable. But the relative merits of the greats is a debate many players find dull Thu 31 May 2018 05.00 EDT The average NBA player’s career lasts only 4.8 years, about the same time it takes for a drink packet to decompose or the lifespan of a guinea pig. Players who choose to …
Read MoreSterling Brown and the tasing of the black American dream (The Guardian)
Milwaukee police didn’t just assault a basketball player, they damaged the hopes young people of color have of a better life Sat 26 May 2018 05.00 EDT Another day, another black man violently assaulted by five rogue police officers for the ever-increasing crime of BWB (breathing while black). This time it was NBA player Sterling Brown. In January, the Bucks rookie was confronted …
Read MoreAthletes Shouldn’t Have to Endure Your Cheating Stereotypes (Cosmopolitan)
APR 16, 2018 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar In an essay for Cosmopolitan.com, the former NBA star sounds off on the fallout from Tristan Thompson’s alleged unfaithfulness to Khloé Kardashian. Just days before Khloé Kardashian gave birth, reports broke that the baby’s father, NBA player Tristan Thompson, had allegedly cheated on her. One common refrain among outraged onlookers: “There’s no way Khloé didn’t …
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar to Keynote 2018 National Trademark Expo
May 9, 2018 Press Release 18-07 CONTACT: (Media Only) Paul Fucito (571) 272-8400 or paul.fucito@uspto.gov Washington – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced that NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony for the 2018 National Trademark Expo at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. on Friday, July 27 at 12:15 …
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