Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
From ArticleWorld
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an American NBA player and now a coach and author. Abdul-Jabbar is most known for the many records he has set, such as being the NBA’s leading scorer with 38,387 points.
Early Life
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born as Ferdinand Lews Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947 in New York City, New York. In high school, he led his team to three straight championships, a 96-6 record, and a 71 game winning streak-an unbelievable feat for a high school player. Alcindor played at the UCLA and, while there, the team amassed 88 wins and only suffered two losses. While at UCLA he had his left cornea scratched in a game, making it necessary for him to wear goggles the rest of his career.
NBA Career
Upon graduation of college, the Harlem Globetrotters offered a sum of $1 million, but Alcindor turned that down and was the first draft pick in the 1969 NBA Draft for the Milwaukee Bucks. Alcindor converted to Islam while at UCLA and took on his Arabic name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.
Abdul-Jabbar played a few more seasons in Milwaukee, but felt that the city was not culturally fulfilling and he requested a trade. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. This trade was the beginning of Abdul-Jabbar’s total and complete domination of the league and paved the way for the Lakers dynasty.
Abdul-Jabbar was known for many things: his incredible height (he was 7’2"), his Islamic faith, a yoga and kung fu student, and his infamous "Skyhook" shot. Abdul-Jabbar retired from professional basketball in 1989, after playing 20 professional seasons and creating a name for himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all times.
Post NBA
Since retirement, Abdul-Jabbar has spent short stints coaching for the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle SuperSonics. He was a scout for the New York Knicks, then just recently returned to his former team (Lakers) to be a special assistant.
Abdul-Jabbar has written various books and is a best selling author. Books by Abdul-Jabbar include:
- Brother In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Battalion
- WWII’s Forgotten Heroes
- Giant Steps
- Kareem
- Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement
- Selected from Giant Steps (Writers’ Voices)
- A Season on the Reservations: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches.
Categories: 1947 births | African American basketball players | American actors | Basketball Hall of Fame | Los Angeles Lakers players | Milwaukee Bucks players | American basketball players | Martial arts practitioners | Muslim converts | Manhattanites | UCLA basketball | African American writers | People convicted of drunk driving