LeBron James under fire for posting COVID-19 meme on Instagram

LeBron James sure didn’t add to the COVID-19 discussion on Friday night. If anything, we all lost a few brain cells.

James posted the infamous Spiderman meme, which compared the modern COVID-19 crisis to the common cold or flu. While it’s unknown why exactly James cosigned such a post, his comment is one that assists those who think COVID-19 is overblown.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4GnUfP0um/

800,000 Americans have died in the COVID-19 pandemic. While professional sports leagues are still figuring out how to deal with new variants on the fly, the pandemic even forced LeBron and other NBA stars to play in a so-called bubble in Florida.

LeBron James’ post does more harm than good

We all understand pandemic fatigue — we all have it. But COVID-19’s impact remains strong despite the number of vaccinated Americans slowly increasing. The vaccine is our main defense against this disease. Any social influence from such a popular athlete at this stage that may — likely unintentionally — provide further fodder for those skeptic of COVID-19’s impact or the vaccine itself is harmful.

James and the Lakers have fallen victim to COVID-19 protocol of late, with the NBA great and even several of his teammates spending time away from the squad as a result of the illness. It’s part of modern life, and something athletes from all sports have learned to live with.

The frustration remains, though, for athletes like James. LeBron is in his final years in the Association, and with the Lakers sitting at 16-17 in a crowded Western Conference after reloading the roster with proven veterans this offseason, it’s got to be disappointing at this juncture.