Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sympathizes With Drake and the Weeknd for Major Grammy Awards Decision

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an all-time great. He was one of the earliest superstars who used his platform to share his views about various things that were happening in the country. Abdul-Jabbar boycotted playing for the U.S. national team in the 1968 Summer Olympics. It was a protest against the unequal treatment of African Americans in the country. The six-time NBA champion has been voicing his opinions ever since.

Recently, he talked about the news of superstars Drake and The Weeknd boycotting the 2023 Grammy Awards. It is the second straight year they are boycotting it. He shared his opinion about the whole ordeal via his official website. He stated he is not a fan of competitions among artists because the criteria are too subjective. Also, he added, the business concerns of promoting certain artists could influence the process.

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Abdul-Jabbar suggested he would prefer giving five awards for each category instead of finding one winner. “Five Best Records of the Year, Five Best Movies of the Year, and so forth. Let us recognize more of our artists for their accomplishments rather than for being singled out,” he noted.

Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shows his sympathy

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then stated he sympathizes with Drake and The Weeknd. “At the same time, I’m in complete sympathy with those artists who question the transparency of the Grammys and their ability to reflect the times,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote.

Drake and The Weeknd are both from Toronto, Canada. Over the years, the two musicians have racked up hundreds of awards. Also, they have both won four Grammy Awards each. However, Drake won four Grammy Awards from 47 nominations.

In 2017, Drake won two Grammy Awards under the categories Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song for his superhit song “Hotline Bling.”

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However, he was enraged about it. “Even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song … the only category they can manage to fit me in is a rap category,” Drake said. He added he writes pop songs because he wants to be like Michael Jackson and other artists he looked up to when he was growing up. Even though he won two awards, Drake stated he doesn’t even want them.

Drake is a huge supporter of the Toronto Raptors, often seen occupying courtside seats and stealing the show on the sidelines. He was a huge presence for the Raptors during their title-winning playoff run in 2019. And also in the finals against the Golden State Warriors.