LeBron James, like many Americans, appears to be frustrated with the current issues around COVID-19. The virus has ripped through the NBA once again as the omicron variant has taken hold, though most players have been either asymptomatic or have had mild cases, according to reports.
On Friday afternoon, the Lakers star shared a variation of the popular “Spider-Man” meme, with the three identical superheroes pointing at each other, labeled as “COVID,” “cold,” and “flu.”
James is catching plenty of heat for the post. Some think he’s downplaying COVID-19, which has killed over 800,000 Americans, as something as relatively benign as a cold or the flu, while others wonder if he’s commenting on the difficulties presented by the similarities of the symptoms.
It’s impossible to know for sure what LeBron was going for without hearing him expand on his point here.
LeBron has had his own COVID-19 frustrations this season. The Lakers forward, who is vaccinated, was placed in COVID-19 protocols on Nov. 30 after a positive test the day before. On Dec. 2, he was cleared to return to play after reportedly testing negative eight times, with the NBA saying the original tests delivered “conflicting results.”
The Lakers have been dealing with other COVID-19 absences in the weeks since, including Avery Bradley, Austin Reaves, and Malik Monk.
