Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his way to the Los Angeles Galaxy the same year that LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Los Angeles Lakers. After losing 0-4 in the ‘18 NBA Finals, James felt as though he fulfilled his promise to ‘The Land’ and accepted Magic Johnson’s proposal to be a member of the purple and gold.
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Zlatan of course, like James at the time, was an aging superstar. So, he made a business decision to join a league that wasn’t as competitive as the ones in Europe. And boy did it help as he, in his late 30s, scored an impressive 53 goals in 58 matches.
The Swedish football player doesn’t just have fans because of his play however. He’s one of the most egotistical and outspoken athletes of our time as he constantly issues his opinions on other athletes and his political beliefs all while speaking in 3rd person. So it’s no surprise that his first interaction with LeBron didn’t go as the latter planned.
LeBron James sent a signed jersey to Zlatan only to have it sent back to him
LeBron James has never sought out beef with other athletes but it seems as though he certainly found himself between a rock and a hard place with Zlatan Ibrahimovic when they first made their way to Los Angeles in 2018.
It was reported that James, as a way to welcome the striker to LA, sent him his own, signed Lakers jersey. Instead of keeping this memento from perhaps the greatest player in the history of the NBA, Zlatan sent the jersey back to him with his own sign on it.
Lebron James thoughtfully sent a copy of his jersey to Zlatan Ibramovic as a gift when Zlatan visited Los Angeles.
Zlatan signed the jersey and sent it back to Lebron.
Where does Zlatan’s oversized sense of self-importance come from?
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) June 17, 2021
The two started off on good terms with one another, with Zlatan even tweeting out, ‘Now LA has a God and a King! Zlatan welcomes LeBron James,’ upon James’s arrival to the city. However, things quickly took a turn following the footballer’s jersey ‘shenanigans’.
LeBron James and Zlatan have been at odds with one another quite publicly
Zlatan, for how outspoken he is on his beliefs, is particularly shy when it comes to expressing his political alignments. LeBron James is quite the opposite as he will happily take a stand against politicians he does not mesh well with, most famously declining a meet with Donald Trump after winning the 2020 NBA title.
Ibrahimovic would double down on going at James by firmly claiming athletes should not meddle with matters that revolve around politics however. LeBron fired back, saying, “I am kind of the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework.” The two have been at odds ever since this.
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