Love him or hate him, you cannot deny LeBron James’ influence in the sporting world. Dominating the NBA for over two decades, it was a heart-warming moment seeing him wave the American flag at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. And media veteran Dan Le Batard was so taken aback by the visual that he even deemed LeBron “Today’s (Muhammad) Ali” in his pod. However, Jason Whitlock completely disagreed with Dan’s gutsy analogy, even resorting to some harsh criticism for King James to prove his point.

Addressing Dan’s comments in his latest tweet, Whitlock wrote, “Dan Le Bard calls LeBron James ‘today’s Muhammad Ali.’ This is laughable.” While Ali dedicated most of his life as an activist fighting for people’s rights and equality, Jason believes Bron is far from making such an impact. “As an ‘activist’ LeBron faces zero resistance. He’s never been interviewed by a critic. Ali confronted/ debated his adversaries. LeBron ducks them and pays people to produce content in support of him.”

For further context, this is not the first time Whitlock has accused the media of taking it lightly on the James family. The same was observed by many analysts while Bronny was being formally introduced by the Lakers. “Is there nobody in the media, no media organization that gets close enough or led into these press conferences to ask real questions?” Whitlock had questioned all the NBA-focused media outlets who preferred asking Bronny about the inspiration behind his jersey number instead of pressing issues.

Coming back to the LeBron-Ali rant by Whitlock, he further wrote, “Ali was attached to a religious organization. LeBron couldn’t spell church or faith.” Then, continuing his criticism for the 39-year-old legend, Whitlock also put a major accusation on him, “LeBron is a great basketball player, one of the 5 or 6 best of all time. He stands for nothing beyond Nike’s global agenda. Ali took real risks based on his convictions. LeBron has risked nothing.”

“LeBron made it fashionable for black athletes to prioritize money and brand above everything. Off the court, LeBron is a fraud. Dan knows it. Everybody does,” the ex-ESPN vet concluded. Ever since he signed with Nike in 2003, King James has been one of the faces of the multi-billion-dollar organization. But during this timeframe, the sneaker giants have been criticized for their poor ethics, while even being accused of forced labor in third world countries to reduce their production costs.

Well, it’s not fair to blame LeBron James for the company’s alleged actions in the past or the player prioritizing money in his career, Jason Whitlock has made sure to clarify his point of view considering the 39-year-old is Nike’s biggest athlete. Also, in the past, the Laker has spoken about Ali and acknowledged the legendary boxer’s relevance.

LeBron James has given “all credit”, acknowledging Muhammad Ali’s greatness
Although Whitlock chose to slam LeBron James for Dan’s Muhammad Ali comparison, it is not the Lakers superstar’s fault that people are putting him in the same ranks as the legendary boxer. In fact, LBJ has even revealed how grateful he is for Ali’s impact on society and sports on several occasions. When Ali passed away in 2016, LeBron had nothing but love for the legend, “He is the greatest of all time and he was the greatest of all time because of what he did outside of the ring.”

Moreover, it’s because of leaders like Ali that today’s athletes can enjoy all the perks without any societal discrimination, “Today I can sit and go to China and make trips to China and all over the world and people know my name and know my face, I give all credit to Muhammad Ali because he was the first icon,” Bron once said.

And while Whitlock refuses to believe it, there are very few athletes as influential both on and off the court as LeBron James. Yes, his level and intensity of activism don’t look like Ali’s because we live in a different time. But he was the one who began the “More Than A Vote” group to fight voter suppression for African American Voters four years ago after the unfortunate death of George Floyd.

More importantly, the nation acknowledged LeBron James’ contribution to society as he was awarded the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award later that year. So, do you think comparisons are fair?