Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Defends Don Lemon’s Widely Panned Comment on Women: ‘Your Heart Was in the Right Place’

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NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar inexplicably tried to defend Don Lemon’s recent and highly controversial comment about when a woman is in her “prime” by trying to clarify Lemon meant “reproductive years.”

On Thursday morning, Lemon found himself in hot water on CNN This Morning after he suggested that presidential candidate Nikki Haley should not call out older politicians because she’s past her “prime” as a woman.

“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, When a woman is in their prime, in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” Lemon said.

CNN This Morning co-host Poppy Harlow pushed back against Lemon’s claim, and he quickly pointed toward internet research as his defense.

“It’s just like, prime. If you look it up. If you Google when is a woman in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s, 40s,” Lemon said.

He was heavily criticized for his remarks, and Haley responded to the comments in a tweet.

She wrote, “Liberals can’t stand the idea of having competency tests for older politicians to make sure they can do the job. BTW it’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.”

On Thursday afternoon, Abdul-Jabbar puzzlingly defended Lemon after the CNN host tweeted an apology.

The six-time NBA champion tweeted:

Don – we know your heart was in the right place.

I think you were referencing women being in their prime during their “reproductive years”.

Women are always in their “prime” because in my opinion, they get stronger, more courageous and more beautiful as they get older.

Some Twitter users condemned Abdul-Jabbar’s comments in the replies to his tweet, and some approved of his defense of the CNN host.

According to the New York Post, CNN CEO Chris Licht spoke with Lemon after the comments.

“Chris isn’t happy and he has spoken to Don a couple times today,” a Post source said. “Don knows it can’t happen again.”

Lemon was not on CNN This Morning on Friday but previously stated the time off.

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