Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most prolific scorers and champions in both college and professional basketball history. He’s also been a democratic activist for some time, and on Thursday night he graced the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Abdul-Jabbar made sure to get the crowd’s attention quickly, mocking the fact that Republican nominee for President, Donald Trump, couldn’t get the name of Democratic Vice-President nominee Tim Kaine correct during a press conference earlier this week.
The seven-foot tall basketball wonder made sure to posterize Trump with an opening line that referenced him actually being Michael Jordan…just so Trump would know who he actually was.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skyhooks over Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/J8VhehJfUF
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) July 29, 2016
The jab shouldn’t be surprising, as Abdul-Jabbar and Trump have had their war of words in the past. Following Trump calling for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration while a vetting process could be figured out for refugees from war-torn Syria and other areas in the Middle East, Abdul-Jabbar penned an op-ed in the Washington Post opposing Trump’s stance.
Trump responded with his own thoughts on what Abdul-Jabbar had to say, telling the former basketball star “you have no clue about life and what has to be done to make America great again.” All of that and more in a hand-written letter over the top of a copy of Abdul-Jabbar’s op-ed.
Needless to say, this war of words is likely not ending any time soon given the egos and politics of the two men involved here.
