NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an op-ed slamming athlete stereotypes in wake of the Khloe Kardashian-Tristan Thompson scandal

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April 16, 2018 11:47 PM

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took to the pages of Cosmopolitan to speak out against stereotypes that are thrust upon athletes.

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an op-ed for Cosmopolitan in which he detailed his feelings on stereotypes that are placed upon professional athletes.
His column comes after Tristan Thompson’s alleged infidelity, which Abdul-Jabbar argues was unfairly framed around the fact that Thompson plays basketball for a living.
Abdul-Jabbar said he wasn't arguing that the stereotypes against athletes are on par with those against other groups, but that the stereotypes still had an adverse effect.

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an op-ed for Cosmopolitan, speaking out against stereotypes applied to professional athletes.

His column comes in the wake of

The implication is that such sleazy behavior should be expected because, after all, he plays professional sports for a living. Grown men playing boys' games can’t be trusted to act like responsible adults. Especially when they're celebrities because of it.

This is a pervasive opinion people have of pro athletes—and not even the worst one. But that doesn't make it true or acceptable. Imagine how different the response would be if the comment were, "He's black." But athletes are expected to accept the insulting stereotypes, shut up, and dribble.

While Abdul-Jabbar goes on to clarify that he's not equating the stereotyping of athletes with the stereotyping of other marginalized groups, whether based on race, religion, gender, or other factors, he does argue that "when

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