No, Dan Le Batard, LeBron James Is Not 'Today's Muhammad Ali'

We hadn't heard much from podcaster Dan Le Batard since he defended Deadspin for falsely framing a 9-year-old child for wearing blackface earlier this year. 

But he's back in the news, this time crowning LeBron James the modern-day Muhammad Ali.

"I don't think we understand how unfair we've been to excellence over the last twenty years," Le Batard said this week about the decision to select James as flag bearer for Team USA at the Paris Olympics.

"With social media mocking people, he was always chasing Michael, always chasing Michael. Seeing him holding that American flag—it means something different than it did twenty years ago, but the person holding it doesn't. He still represents excellence for twenty years, today's Ali."

Le Batard's take is as predictable as it is laughable.

Ali sought change through courage and vision. During the Vietnam War, Ali risked his career and imprisonment because he espoused such dangerous, unpopular opinions.

James has never taken a risky opinion. He takes stances that are already deemed acceptable, most of which are pre-approved by Nike and other sponsors that have put him on track to become the fifth billionaire athlete in the world.

LeBron supported Black Lives Matter and knelt before the national anthem because it was advantageous to do so.

Ali was an activist. LeBron is a businessman. There's a difference.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers along with Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers kneel during the National Anthem against the Houston Rockets in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 4, 2020 (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

James had a chance to channel Ali in 2019 and speak out against the genocide of Muslim Uyghurs in China, a business partner of his and of the NBA. Instead, he shamed general manager Daryl Morey for supporting human rights in China. 

What a gem.

"We all talk about this freedom of speech, yes we all do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others," said James at the time. "When you only think about yourself."

Concentration camps, be damned. LeBron has shoes to sell.

James has also handled the moniker of "more than an athlete" irresponsibly. The problem with LeBron is that he isn't informed enough to voice opinions on most current events.

In 2020, James posted a tweet to his 53 million followers in which he told black people they are "literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME [they] step foot outside the comfort of their homes!"

There is no proof of that. It's a lie.

A year later, James doxxed an officer who he told his followers murdered a young black woman. In reality, the officer saved a young black woman by killing a woman who was trying to stab her. 

Nonetheless, that heroic officer had to walk around with a target on his back, knowing fans of LeBron's believed he was a murdering racist.

Le Batard's comparison is shameful. It's insulting to Muhammad Ali and his history. James is a great basketball player. He seems like a great father. However, he does not inspire change. He does not give a voice to the voiceless.

LeBron only embraces what he's supposed to embrace, frequently amplifying the prevailing narrative.

"The stakes of LeBron’s opinions are not substantial," OutKick's Clay Travis said on this very topic in 2018. 

"Look at what was happening when Ali was speaking out in 1968? We're at war in Vietnam, we’re dealing with the MLK & RFK assassinations, 18-year-olds were being drafted into the army, and cities are burning in riots…. What’s going on right now??"

LeBron James is the antithesis of Muhammad Ali. He's a sellout. A coward. A grifter. 

Honestly, he's not all that different from Dan Le Batard.