February 17, 2026
LeBron James’ ‘Good Things’ Under Fire As Critics Blast Perceived Support Of Israel
In “An Open Letter to LeBron James,” Mehdi Hasan highlighted all the times the four-time champion was seen as a champion for social justice matters such as the violence in Charlottesville and Black Lives Matter.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is being slammed on social media for comments about Israel and labeled a “disgrace” by MS Now journalist and Israel critic, Mehdi Hasan.
During the NBA’s annual All-Star weekend, James announced he would hold a separate press conference to answer questions about the possibility of his retirement and his thoughts on Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija, the only active NBA player from Israel, according to Fox News.
When asked about having a message for fans overseas, people zeroed in on his sentiments of “hearing nothing but good things.”
“If I have fans over there, then I hope you’ve been following my career. I hope I inspire people over there to not only want to be great at sports but to be better in general in life,” he said.
“So, hopefully, someday I could make it over there. Like I said, I’ve never been over there, but I heard great things. I appreciate the question.”
Hasan, in particular, took great offense to the comments made by the 22-time All-Star after reposting another social media user’s comments.
“What a disgrace LeBron is,” the journalist said on X.
Hasan, who has received massive backlash on his hard-hitting takes against Israel following the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas terrorists, continued to slam James in “An Open Letter to LeBron James,” published on his Zeteo platform.
He highlighted all the times the four-time champion was seen as a champion of social justice, such as the violence in Charlottesville, Black Lives Matter, and the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
But called him out for remaining silent on the issues overseas, accusing him of seemingly praising “mass killing and starving in Gaza.”
“So where has your voice been for the past two and a half years as tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been bombed, shot, and starved to death? As parents dug their children’s bodies out of the rubble with their bare hands? As doctors operated without anesthesia inside besieged hospitals?” Hasan wrote.
“Why have we heard nothing from you?”
However, he may have misspoken. An old post on X resurfaced from James, dated Oct. 11, 2023, where the NBA legend, along with his SpringHill Company business partner Maverick Carter, openly condemned the terror, saying “the devastation in Israel is tragic and unacceptable.”
While some advocates, like Marc Lamont Hill, claimed to be “nonplussed” by James’ “good things” comments, friends like fellow NBA legend Carmelo Anthony seemed to ask fans to give him some grace.
“He’s living long enough to be the villain… Still holding this league down. This league don’t move without Bron. I don’t give a f**k what nobody say.,” Anthony said during a segment of his “7PM In Brooklyn” podcast.
“It don’t move without Bron. Until he’s gone. His position in this game is bigger than wins and losses throughout the season.”
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