Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.
April 16, 1947
Retired professional American basketball player. He played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers as center. Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley has called him the greatest basketball player of all time.
He was born in April 16 1947 in New York to Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Sr. Lt. police transit officer, jazz musician, and Cora Lilian Alcindor a department store clerk. He was the only child. He went to an all-black boarding school in Pennsylvania. He was the only child of an overprotective mother and a strict father whose impassivity, some say, Alcindor grew to resent. Far and away the tallest kid in the Harlem school system, Alcindor was viewed as something of a freak by his schoolmates. After dominating New York high school basketball at the now-defunct Power Memorial, he enrolled at UCLA and played for John Wooden’s powerhouse Bruins.
Alcindor simply ruled the college ranks. After sitting out his first season because NCAA regulations prevented freshmen from playing at the varsity level, he was selected as Player of the Year in 1967 and 1969 by The Sporting News, United Press International, the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was also named an All-American and the most outstanding player in the NCAA Tournament in 1967, 1968, and 1969. With Alcindor taking charge in the middle, Wooden and UCLA pocketed three national championships.
The Milwaukee Bucks were only in their second season when they made Alcindor the first overall choice in the 1969 NBA Draft. (The Bucks’ first season had been forgettable, at 27-55 and it won the coin toss for the first selection over the Phoenix Suns.) The time was ripe for a new center to dominate the league. Bill Russell had just left the Boston Celtics, and Wilt Chamberlain, though still effective, was almost 35 years old. With Alcindor aboard in 1969-70, the Bucks rose to second place in the Eastern Division with a 56-26 record. Alcindor was an instant star, placing second in the league in scoring (28.8 ppg) and third in rebounding (14.5 rpg). He handily won NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
During the offseason the Bucks traded for their ticket to the NBA title: 31-year-old guard Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals. With a supporting crew of Bobby Dandridge, Jon McGlocklin, Greg Smith, and a young Lucius Allen, Milwaukee recorded a league-best 66 victories in 1970-71, including a record 20 straight wins. Alcindor won his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award and his first scoring title (31.7 ppg) while placing fourth in rebounding (16.0 rpg). Milwaukee went 12-2 in the playoffs and dispatched the Baltimore Bullets in only the second NBA Finals sweep in league history. Alcindor was named Finals MVP.
Before the 1971-72 season Alcindor converted from Catholicism to Islam and took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means “noble, powerful servant.” He was certainly a noble, powerful player, enjoying stellar years with Milwaukee. In 1971-72 he repeated as scoring champion (34.8 ppg) and NBA Most Valuable Player, and the Bucks repeated as division leaders for the second of four straight years. In 1973-74 Abdul-Jabbar won his third MVP Award in only his fifth year in the league and placed among the NBA’s top five in four categories: scoring (27.0 ppg, third), rebounding (14.5 rpg, fourth), blocked shots (283, second) and field-goal percentage (.539, second).
Take a look back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s standout career.
Milwaukee returned to the NBA Finals in 1974 but lost to the Boston Celtics, who were led by 6-foot-9 center Dave Cowens and a stable of guards who proved too quick for the 35-year-old Robertson. “The Big O” retired after the playoffs, ending the Bucks’ string of division titles. The team plunged to last place in 1974-75 with a 38-44 record.
Despite his phenomenal success in Milwaukee, Abdul-Jabbar was unhappy due in part to the lack of people who shared his religious and cultural beliefs and wanted out. He requested that he be traded to either New York or Los Angeles, and Bucks General Manager Wayne Embry complied, sending Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers in 1975 for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters. The second Abdul-Jabbar dynasty was about to take shape.
Chamberlain had retired two years earlier, a fact that helped explain the Lakers’ 30-52 record and last-place finish in 1974-75. Abdul-Jabbar helped bring about a 10-game turnaround in his first season in Los Angeles. His contributions (27.7 ppg, 16.9 rpg) won him yet another NBA Most Valuable Player Award, his fourth in only seven years in the league.
The following season Jerry West was hired as the Lakers’ coach, and he guided the team back into first place with a league-best 53-29 record. Abdul-Jabbar (26.2 ppg, 13.3 rpg, .579 field-goal percentage, 261 blocks) was named Most Valuable Player for the fifth time in eight years, tying Celtics legend Bill Russell’s record. But the Lakers were swept in the conference finals by the championship-bound Portland Trail Blazers, who had a fearsome big man of their own in Bill Walton.
Despite Abdul-Jabbar’s best efforts, the Lakers finished in the middle of their division in each of the following two years. He continued to put up big numbers, although he missed 20 games in 1977-78 after breaking his hand in a fight with Milwaukee’s rookie Kent Benson in the season opener. Young players Jamaal Wilkes and Norm Nixon looked promising, but Los Angeles nevertheless wallowed in mediocrity.
In 1979, using a first-round draft pick obtained from the Utah Jazz, the Lakers selected a 6-foot-9 point guard named Earvin “Magic” Johnson from Michigan State. Johnson’s arrival marked the beginning of a decade that would bring Abdul-Jabbar five more championship rings. With a blitzkrieg fast break that came to be known as “Showtime,” the Lakers won nine division titles in the final 10 years of Abdul-Jabbar’s career.
On April 5, 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passed Wilt Chamberlain for No. 1 spot on NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Abdul-Jabbar continued to average at least 20 points for the next six seasons. His rebounding average dropped to between 6 and 8 as years of pounding and battling for position began to take their toll. But he remained in remarkable shape, even in his late 30s when he was trim, muscular, and able to play 32 to 35 minutes per game at an age at which the vast majority of players had retired.
“He’s the most beautiful athlete in sports,” Magic Johnson told writer Gary Smith. In the final years of his career, Abdul-Jabbar’s fitness program became more important than ever. He practiced yoga and martial arts to keep his arms and legs strong and limber, and he meditated before every game to reduce stress.
On April 5, 1984, in a game against the Utah Jazz played in Las Vegas, Abdul-Jabbar had perhaps his finest moment. Taking a pass from Magic Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar whirled and launched his trademark sky-hook toward the hoop. The shot drew nothing but net, giving Abdul-Jabbar career point No. 31,420, which vaulted him past Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers reached the NBA Finals eight times in the 10 seasons between 1979-80 and 1988-89. They won five titles, beating Boston and Philadelphia twice each and the Detroit Pistons once. The 1985 series against Boston was perhaps the most satisfying for Abdul-Jabbar. At age 38, the league’s senior center was thought by many observers to be washed up. In Game 1 it looked as though they were right — Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and three rebounds in his matchup with Robert Parish. The Celtics romped to a 148-114 win in what became known as the “Memorial Day Massacre.”
During the next two days Abdul-Jabbar watched hours of game films and took part in marathon practice sessions that included over one hour of sprinting drills. Repeated attempts by Riley to persuade Abdul-Jabbar to take a break failed.
In Game 2, Abdul-Jabbar recorded 30 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocked shots in a 109-102 Lakers win. Los Angeles went on to win the series in six games. In the Lakers’ four victories, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.0 blocks. In one memorable sequence, Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court, and swished a sky-hook. He even dove for a loose ball. “What you saw,” Riley told Sports Illustrated, “was passion.” Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP.
Take a look back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s legendary career with 70 of his best trademark skyhooks!
Jabbar has said that the 1985 championship may have been the sweetest of his six. It was won on the floor of the Boston Garden and vanquished the ghosts of the arena and the Celtics, the team that defeated the Lakers just the year before and many other times during Russell’s reign.
In 1986-87 the Lakers again beat Boston for the NBA Championship. Although Abdul-Jabbar played respectably, series MVP Magic Johnson was the star. During the regular season, Abdul-Jabbar dipped below 20 points per game (17.5 ppg) for the first time in his career. At age 40 he signed a contract to play two more years. The following year the Lakers’ victory over Detroit made them the first team since the 1968-69 Celtics to repeat as NBA champions.
In 1988-89, Abdul-Jabbar’s final season, the Lakers returned to The Finals in a rematch against the Pistons. Abdul-Jabbar tallied season highs in Game 3 with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but with Johnson and Byron Scott both nursing injured hamstrings, Los Angeles was swept. In his final game, Abdul-Jabbar recorded seven points and three rebounds. During the regular season, he shot below .500 from the field for the first time (.475) and averaged a career-low 10.1 points.
Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement marked the end of an era for the NBA. He left the game as the game’s all-time scorer, which may never be surpassed, with 38,387 points (24.6 ppg), 17,440 rebounds (11.2 RPG), 3,189 blocks, and a .559 field-goal percentage from a career that spanned 20 years and 1,560 games. He scored in double figures in 787 straight games.
Several years after he retired Abdul-Jabbar told the Orange County Register, “The ’80s made up for all the abuse I took during the ’70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.”
Since retiring, Abdul-Jabbar has authored several books, worked in the entertainment business, and served as a “basketball ambassador,” working in various capacities such as a coach and broadcaster as well as helping to fight hunger and illiteracy.
Carmelo Anthony is named the inaugural Social Justice Champion award winner for the 2020-21 NBA season.
In 1995, Abdul-Jabbar was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in May of 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Award. The new annual honor recognizes a current NBA player for pursuing social justice efforts — something Abdul-Jabbar did throughout his playing career and life.
In September 2018, Abdul-Jabbar was announced as one of the writers for the July 2019 revival of Veronica Mars
On February 10, 2011, Abdul-Jabbar debuted his film On the Shoulders of Giants, documenting the tumultuous journey of the famed yet often-overlooked New York Renaissance professional basketball team, at Science Park High School in Newark, New Jersey. The event was simulcast live throughout the school, city, and state. In 2015, he appeared in Kareem: Minority of One, an HBO documentary on his life.In 2020, Abdul-Jabbar was the executive producer and narrator of the History Channel special Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution.He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his narration
Civil Rights Activism
In 1967, Abdul-Jabbar was the only college athlete to attend the Cleveland Summit, a meeting of prominent black athletes who convened in support of Muhammad Ali’s refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. The following year, Abdul-Jabbar boycotted the Summer Olympics to protest American racism, drawing death threats for his decision.
Abdul-Jabbar became a best-selling author and cultural critic. He published several books, mostly on African-American history. His first book, his autobiography Giant Steps, was written in 1983 with co-author Peter Knobler. The book’s title is an homage to jazz great John Coltrane, referring to his album Giant Steps. Others include On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance,[co-written with Raymond Obstfeld, and Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, World War II’s Forgotten Heroes, co-written with Anthony Walton, which is a history of the first black armored unit to fight in World War II.
A regular contributor to discussions about issues of race and religion, among other topics, in national magazines, and on television, Abdul-Jabbar has written a regular column for Time. He appeared on Meet the Press on January 25, 2015, to talk about a column saying that Islam should not be blamed for the actions of violent extremists, just as Christianity has not been blamed for the actions of violent extremists who profess Christianity. When asked about being Muslim, he said: “I don’t have any misgivings about my faith. I’m very concerned about the people who claim to be Muslims that are murdering people and creating all this mayhem in the world. That is not what Islam is about, and that should not be what people think of when they think about Muslims. But it’s up to all of us to do something about all of it.
In November 2014, Abdul-Jabbar published an essay in Jacobin calling for just compensation for college athletes, writing that “in the name of fairness, we must bring an end to the indentured servitude of college athletes and start paying them what they are worth.”[Commenting on Donald Trump’s 2017 travel ban, he condemned it, saying: “The absence of reason and compassion is the very definition of pure evil because it is a rejection of our sacred values, distilled from millennia of struggle
Political Works
Cultural ambassador
Hillary Clinton and Abdul-Jabbar, 2012
In January 2012, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Abdul-Jabbar had accepted a position as a cultural ambassador for the United States. During the announcement press conference, Abdul-Jabbar commented on the historical legacy of African-Americans as representatives of U.S. culture: “I remember when Louis Armstrong first did it back for President Kennedy, one of my heroes. So it’s nice to be following in his footsteps.” As part of this role, Abdul-Jabbar has traveled to Brazil to promote education for local youths.
Former President Barack Obama announced in his last days of office that he has appointed Abdul-Jabbar along with Gabrielle Douglas and Carli Lloyd to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
In January 2017, Abdul-Jabbar was appointed to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee by United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. According to the United States Mint, Abdul-Jabbar is a keen coin collector whose interest in the life of Alexander Hamilton had led him to the hobby. He resigned in 2018 due to what the Mint described as “increasing personal obligations”
Name change and Family
At age 24 in 1971, he converted to Islam and legally became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means “noble one, servant of the Almighty.”
Abdul-Jabbar met Habiba Abdul-Jabbar (born Janice Brown) at a Lakers game during his senior year at UCLA. They eventually married and together had three children: daughters Habiba and Sultana and son Kareem Jr., who played basketball at Western Kentucky after attending Valparaiso. Abdul-Jabbar and Janice divorced in 1978. He has another son, Amir, with Cheryl Pistono. Another son, Adam, made an appearance on the TV sitcom Full House with him
Legacy Awards and Honors
Abdul-Jabbar won a record six MVP awards. His 38,387 career points remained the NBA’s career scoring record until February 7, 2023, when he was surpassed by LeBron James of the Lakers in Los Angeles. Abdul-Jabbar attended the game and passed the game ball to James during the in-game ceremony after the record was broken. James did not play college ball, entering the league straight out of high school at age 18 in 2003. Abdul-Jabbar held the scoring mark for nearly 39 years, the longest span in league history. His skyhook is considered one of the most unstoppable shots ever.
He won six NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards, was voted to 15 All-NBA and 11 All-Defensive Teams, and was selected to a record 19 All-Star teams, tied by James in 2023.He was named to the NBA’s 35th, 50th, and 75th-anniversary teams. He averaged 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game. Abdul-Jabbar is ranked as the NBA’s third-leading all-time rebounder (17,440). He is the third all-time in registered blocks (3,189), which is impressive because this basketball statistic was not recorded until the fourth year of his career (1974).[ He had three straight seasons where he averaged at least 30 points and 16 rebounds, and six times he averaged at least 27 points and 14.5 rebounds in the same season.
Abdul-Jabbar combined dominance during his career peak with the longevity and sustained excellence of his later years. A pioneer in using yoga in the NBA, he also credited Bruce Lee with teaching him “the discipline and spirituality of martial arts, which was greatly responsible for me being able to play competitively in the NBA for 20 years with very few injuries”. Abdul-Jabbar played in 95 percent of his team’s regular-season games during his career, including 80 or more games in 11 of his 20 seasons. Five times he played in all 82 games. After claiming his sixth and final MVP in 1980, he continued to average above 20 points in the following six seasons, including 23 points per game in his 17th season at age 38. He earned first-team All-NBA selections that were 15 years apart and Finals MVPs 14 seasons from each other.
Among the most graceful basketball players ever, Abdul-Jabbar is regarded as one of the best centers ever and one of the greatest players in NBA history; he was voted the best center of all time by ESPN ahead of Wilt Chamberlain in 2007 and ranked No. 4 in Slam’s “Top 100 Players Of All-Time” in 2018, and No. 3 in ESPN’s list of the top 74 NBA players of all time in 2020, the best center ever ahead of Bill Russell and Chamberlain.vLeague experts and basketball legends frequently mentioned him when considering the greatest player of all time. Riley said in 1985: “Why judge anymore? When a man has broken records, won championships, and endured tremendous criticism and responsibility, why judge? Let’s toast him as the greatest player ever.”
In 2023, as James was on the verge of breaking the NBA career scoring record, Abdul-Jabbar remained as Riley’s choice as the greatest: “We don’t win championships without the greatest player in the history of the game, who had the greatest weapon in the history of the game. The skyhook was unstoppable. Last minute of the game, it’s going to one guy”. As president of the Miami Heat, Riley had won two NBA titles with James on their roster. Isiah Thomas remarked: “If they say the numbers don’t lie, then Kareem is the greatest ever to play the game.”
In 2013, Julius Erving said: “In terms of players all-time, Kareem is still the number one guy. He’s the guy you gotta start your franchise with.”
In 2015, ESPN named Abdul-Jabbar the best center in NBA history,and ranked him No. 2 behind Michael Jordan among the greatest NBA players ever. While Jordan’s shots were enthralling and considered unfathomable, Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook appeared automatic, and he himself called the shot “unsexy”.
In 2016, Abdul-Jabbar’s only recognized rookie card became the most expensive basketball card ever sold (the record has since been surpassed) when it went for $501,900 at auction.
In 2022, he was ranked No. 3 (first in his position) in ESPN’s NBA 75th Anniversary Team list, and No. 3 (behind Jordan and James) in a similar list by The Athletic.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (May 15, 1995)[197]
NYC Basketball Hall of Fame – Inaugural Class, 1990
College:
2× Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
2× Oscar Robertson Trophy winner (1967, 1968)
2× UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
3× Consensus first-team All-American (1967–1969)
3× NCAA champion (1967–1969)
3× NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1967–1969)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)
3× First-team All-Pac-8 (1967–1969)
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2007)
National Basketball Association:
Rookie of the Year (1970)
6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
6× NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
6× Sporting News NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
2× Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” (1985)
Elected to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team
One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
Elected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)
November 16, 2012 – a statue of Abdul-Jabbar was unveiled in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles
Sosurce
wiki and NBA.com