LeBron James said Tuesday that while he is vaccinated, it wasn’t his place to impose that decision on others.
“We are talking about people’s bodies and well beings. I don’t feel like for me personally that I should get involved in what other people should do for their bodies and livelihoods. … You have to do what’s best for you and your family,” James said.
He was promptly blasted by ABC’s ‘The View’ Thursday for his refusal to advocate people getting vaccinated against the coronavirus and declaring the decision to take a vaccine was each individual’s “own choice.”
All five co-hosts were united in calling out the Lakers superstar.
“Well, it’s kind of funny because if it’s not your job that means that some of those folks that would be coming to see you play are not going to come see you play because they can’t get in,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said.
“It’s not your job to tell people what to do, but you can suggest that you’ve figured out nobody grew a second head or a tail when they got the shot. I mean, I don’t know why that would be hard for folks,” she added.
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Co-host Ana Navarro claimed it was a “privilege” but also a “responsibility” as a public person for James to speak out on vaccines.
“You have a responsibility to those people that made you to share what you know and to try to get them to do the right thing,” Navarro said. “I’m sorry, I wish we had private lives. We don’t. We are public people with a lot of privileges and that’s the responsibility that comes along with it.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin referred to him as “King James” because of his influence amongst a large number of young people.
“I was really deeply disappointed that he said that just because he has such a large platform,” Hostin said. “In America we talk about personal freedoms so much because it is really the foundation of our country, but what we have to realize is that as citizens … we don’t have the right to harm our colleagues and our colleagues’ families.”
“Your right, LeBron, to a healthy life is not greater than another person’s right to a healthy life,” she added.
Co-hosts Joy Behar and Sara Haines pointed out his race as being a huge factor as to why he should speak out.
“If you don’t want to speak out, remember you said that, because it’s going to come back and bite you in the behind when you want to talk about issues that are bothering you. Just know that people are going to come back and say, ‘Well why are you talking now?’” Goldberg added.
“This is really important, LeBron, whether you decide to talk about why you and your family got vaccinated, it is important for you as an American citizen, for me as an American citizen, for all of us to do our part here,” she said.
