Zlatan Ibrahimovic Blasts LeBron James for Social Activism: 'Stick to Sports'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has just one problem with LeBron James. The Swedish soccer star talked about James in a recent interview with UEFA for Discovery+ in Sweden and said that he should "stick to sports" and not be focused on social activism. Ibrahimovic also said athletes should stay away from politics.

"(LeBron) is phenomenal at what he's doing, but I don't like when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time," Ibrahimovic said. "Do what you're good at. Do the category you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football. I don't do politics. If I would be a political politician, I would do politics. That is the big first mistake people do when they become famous and they become in a certain status. Stay out of it. Just do what you do best because it doesn't look good."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic uppskattar basketspelaren Lebron James men tycker inte att han ska lägga sig i politiken: "Lebron är fenomenal på det han gör, men jag gillar inte när folk med status lägger sig i politik"

Lång intervju med Zlatan Ibrahimovic: https://t.co/oXm5gjmhKv pic.twitter.com/J3L82GWLD6

— discovery+ sport 🇸🇪 (@dplus_sportSE) February 25, 2021

James has been on the frontline when it comes to fighting racial and social injustice. When former President Donald Trump was in office, The Los Angeles Lakers star would criticize him for being against players who kneeled during the national anthem.

"I don't go back and forth with anybody," James said in October. "And I damn sure won't go back and forth with that guy. But we want better, we want change in our community. We always talk about, 'We want change,' and now we have the opportunity to do that." In December, James was named Athlete of the Year by TIME Magazine for what he did on and off the court.

"It would never, ever go back to us just playing our respective sports," James said at the time. "It will never be that way for as long as I'm around. And hopefully, I've inspired enough athletes that even when I'm gone, that legacy will carry on."

Ibrahimovic is considered one of the best soccer players in the world. He currently players for AC Milan but spent time in the United States, playing for the LA Galaxy for the MLS in 2018 and 2019. Ibrahimovic also plays for the Sweden national team and is the squad's all-time goal scorer (62).