Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slams Quentin Tarantino’s 'somewhat racist' depiction of Bruce Lee

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the latest celebrity to weigh in on Bruce Lee's controversial depiction in Quentin Tarantino’s "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood."

Abdul-Jabbar, who battled Lee onscreen in the 1978 film "Game of Death," wrote in an article for the Hollywood Reporter Friday that the portrayal of his longtime friend was "disappointing."

"Tarantino has the artistic right to portray Bruce any way he wants," the NBA star, 72, wrote. "But to do so in such a sloppy and somewhat racist way is a failure both as an artist and as a human being."

Bruce Lee Controversy: Daughter Shannon Lee slams dad's 'caricature' portrayal

He's referring to a scene in "Once Upon a Time" where Brad Pitt's fictional stuntman Cliff Booth spars with Lee (played by Mike Moh) after the martial arts star boasted about his fighting prowess and claimed he could beat heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay.

"The John Wayne machismo attitude of Cliff … an aging stuntman who defeats the arrogant, uppity Chinese guy harks back to the very stereotypes Bruce was trying to dismantle," Abdul-Jabbar said.

Abdul-Jabbar said representation of Asians as the "inscrutable villains" had long frustrated Lee, who dedicated his life to "changing the dismissive image of Asians."

He continued: "That’s why it disturbs me that Tarantino chose to portray Bruce in such a one-dimensional way."

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The Hall of Famer said viewers will subconsciously conflate Lee's fictional onscreen actions with the real person, diminishing his legacy and how he's remembered.

"That’s why filmmakers have a responsibility when playing with people’s perceptions of admired historic people to maintain a basic truth about the content of their character," he wrote. "Quentin Tarantino’s portrayal of Bruce Lee in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' does not live up to this standard."

Abdul-Jabbar is not the only one criticizing Lee's cocky depiction in the film. The star's daughter, Shannon Lee, and his biographer said Lee was turned into a "caricature."

"He comes across as an arrogant (expletive) who was full of hot air,” Shannon told The Wrap about Tarantino's portrayal of her father. “And not someone who had to fight triple as hard as any of those people did to accomplish what was naturally given to so many others.”

Despite the backlash, Tarantino has stood by his film's portrayal of Lee.

"Bruce Lee was kind of an arrogant guy," Tarantino told reporters in Moscow. "I didn't make a lot of this up. I heard him say things like that."

Shannon's response to Tarantino? "He could shut up about it…Or he could apologize," she frankly told Variety.

'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood': Quentin Tarantino defends 'arrogant' Bruce Lee depiction

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Quentin Tarantino’s Bruce Lee depiction slammed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar