Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: John Stockton's COVID-19 comments make us look like 'dumb jocks'
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized fellow Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton's comments about COVID-19 mask mandates and vaccines on Wednesday.
"I think statements like (Stockton's) make the public look upon athletes as basically dumb jocks for trying to explain away something this is obviously a pandemic, and the best way to fight pandemics is through vaccination and testing," Abdul-Jabbar said during a CNN appearance following Stockton's interview with The Spokesman-Review discussing why he is unable to attend Gonzaga basketball games. "Those are the means by which we identify the problem and do our best to mitigate it.
"I don't understand anyone saying anything else that makes sense. It doesn't make sense what he's saying," Abdul-Jabbar continued. "This is a preventative measure that has been useful in many different circumstances."
In the interview with The Spokesman-Review last week, Stockton confirmed he is no longer allowed to attend Bulldogs games for refusing to wear a mask during games. Stockton, one of the university's most notable basketball alumni, played at Gonzaga from 1980-84.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/kareem-abdul-jabbar-john-stocktons-covid-19-comments-make-us-look-like-dumb-jocks/ar-AATaY1L
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John Stockton was our hero for that time frame and we cheered every time he made a basket, made an assist, or made a steal.
There is no doubt he is one of the most talented basketball players in the history of basketball.
That said, Kareem is right. John Stockton should have retired, kept his mouth shut, and lived out his life in the admiration of his fans. He lost ALL of the admiration from me, and I'm sure many other Jazz fans.
Kareem is right! John and Aaron and Kyrie make every one of the responsible athletes look bad, and that should be enough to discredit them for-ever. Maybe remove them from the hall of fame. Just desserts.
RIP, the hero I used to love!
