Chris Webber is praising the way the NBA handles social issues -- while throwing shade at the NFL -- saying basketball players have WAY MORE freedom to express themselves than football players.
"We talk about Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin and see guys wearing 'I Can't Breathe' shirts on the court," Webber says ... "We get to speak our minds."
Webber says NBA superstars like LeBron James have been praised for using the basketball court as a platform to speak out ... while NFL players like Colin Kaepernick get crushed.
"It is a privilege and a blessing to be in the NBA ... not the NFL."