Kareem puts Jordan on blast over lack of political advocacy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does not shy from discussing his political advocacy. He also doesn't appear to have a problem speaking out against those who don't speak up.

Such was a subject of conversation during a recent interview on NPR, in which the NBA's all-time leading scorer voiced opposition to the political stance of former Chicago Bulls figurehead Michael Jordan.

According to The New York Daily News, the interview to promote the HBO documentary Kareem: Minority of One turned to Jordan and his refusal to back Democrat Harvey Gantt during a Senate run in the 1990s.

Jordan's reasoning? "Republicans buy sneakers, too."

Abdul-Jabbar reportedly is not impressed with Jordan's decision to put Air Jordans over having a political voice. "You can't be afraid of losing shoe sales if you're worried about your civil and human rights... He took commerce over conscience. It's unfortunate for him, but he's gotta live with it."

That's pretty strong. But not too surprising when remembering that politics is clearly important to Abdul-Jabbar. Back in September, he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post critical of Donald Trump's approach during the Republican's presidential campaign.

It appears that he feels others should be just as open, and politically active. Even if it means putting the business surrounding one of the most popular shoes in the past few decades on the line.

"When something happens, it doesn't matter if it's convenient or not — if it's time to speak up, you have to speak up. You can't be afraid."