You can’t talk about NBA history without mentioning Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From his days in high school to the very second he stepped away from the Association, Abdul-Jabbar’s career was defined by winning and dominating on both ends of the floor. His playing career led him to become the leading scorer in NBA history while also winning the MVP award more times than anybody else. All that while also being a perennial presence in the NBA All-Defensive Team year in and year out.
It’s funny that people don’t mention Kareem’s name when engaging in the GOAT debate. They talk about Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, LeBron James, and even Kobe Bryant; yet Kareem put together perhaps the greatest résumé in basketball history. Here, we’re going to give honor where it’s due and let you know everything there is to know about one of the all-time greats, a guy who thrived on and off the court and whose legacy continues to grow by the day. He was more than just another basketball player or a guy who dominated in the regular season.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Early Years
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., son of Cora Lillian and police officer Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr., was born in Harlem, NYC on April 16, 1947. He spent most of his early days in the Dyckman Street projects in Inwood, often standing out because of his unusual height. However, that wasn’t exactly a good thing for him, as he felt ridiculized and mocked because of all the comments and stares.
Alcindor Jr started making a name for himself as a basketball standout in basketball. He would already dunk and eas 6’8” by the time he was 13 years old, leading Power Memorial Academy to three consecutive New York City Catholic Championships. With him on the court, his high school team had a 79-2 record and a whopping 71-game winning streak, earning the ‘Tower From Power’ nickname. However, his high school journey would come to an abrupt end when coach Jack Donohue called him a racial slur in his senior year.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – A Star At UCLA
After breaking multiple state-wide records and getting national attention at Power Memorial Academy, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor committed to play for the UCLA Bruins. Unfortunately, his official debut had to wait for a year, as freshmen were ineligible to play varsity until the 1972 season. His team entered the season as back-to-back national champions and the highest-ranked team in the nation. Alcindor played for the freshman team in an exhibition against the varsity squad, dominating with 31 points and 21 boards and putting the world on notice right away.
Already labeled as a superstar, Abdul-Jabbar turned a lot of heads with his first official performance for the varsity team, scoring 56 points. He averaged 29 points per game and led the Bruins to a perfect 30-0 record and a national title. He was so incredibly dominant that the NCAA actually banned dunks to prevent him from having an unfair advantage over his peers, as he stood at 7’2”.
Alcindor led the Bruins to three straight NCAA titles and a nearly immaculate record of 88 wins and just two losses, one of them labeled ‘The Game of the Century’ against the University of Houston, a game in which he was limited by an eye injury. The other came against lifelong rivals USC, who made the most of the lack of a shot clock to just hold onto the ball for as long as they could before making a shot. He broke all sorts of records and set multiple marks during his incredible career, being considered the greatest college basketball player of all time.
Notably, he suffered a scratched left cornea against California, being forced to miss a couple of games. He would suffer the very same injury later in his professional career, which is why Alcindor played with protective goggles for the rest of his playing days. It was also during college that he converted to Islam and decided to change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, although he didn’t make it public until three years later. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a major or history and was also a martial arts enthusiast before being able to declare for the NBA Draft.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Milwaukee Bucks
Even though the Harlem Globetrotters offered him a million dollars, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to take his talents to the NBA. There, he was drafted first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969. He was also taken first overall by the New Jersey Nets of the ABA, yet the Bucks won his sweepstakes eventually. He’d go on to become an instant star and the most valuable player on his team, earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors and helping the franchise reach new heights in its second year of existence.
In just his second year with the team and with the help of recently-acquired star Oscar Robertson, the young man then-known as Lew Alcindor led the Bucks to their very first NBA Finals. The Bucks won with him leading the way, also earning Finals MVP honors. He also won his first Scoring Title and Most Valuable Player award. Abdul-Jabbar stayed there until 1975 when he thought he was ready for a bigger challenge and the next step in his career. He had outgrown the Bucks and publically expressed his desire to be traded.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and acquire Kareem as soon as they could. They sent away Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman, and cash to land him alongside Walt Wesley and the rest, as you know, is history. Abdul-Jabbar went on to become a superstar in Los Angeles, smoothing the transition for the post-Wilt Chamberlain era. However, it wouldn’t be until 1980 that the Lakers would be able to win another championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Magic Johnson in 1979, putting together one of the most dominant one-two punches in the history of the Association. Together, they led the purple and gold to multiple trips to the NBA Finals and five rings in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1977, and 1988, orchestrating the ‘Showtime’ era in Los Angeles. That Magic Johnson-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combination was as unstoppable as it was entertaining to watch.
Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Change His Name?
Like many African Americans from his time, Lew Alcindor eventually converted to Islam. He did so at 24 years old, adopting the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem claimed that he wanted to get rid of a name that wasn’t a part of his heritage, as his ancestors were enslaved and brought to the U.S. by a French millionaire named Alcindor. His name translates to “Noble one, servant of the Almighty.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Awards And Accolades
Throughout his incredible NBA career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships, 2 Finals MVP, and an NBA-record six MVP awards, securing a place in the NBA’s 35th, 50th, and 75th-anniversary teams. On top of that, he was a 19-time All-Star (also an NBA record), made it to 10 All-NBA First Teams, five Second Teams, five NBA All-Defensive First Teams, six All-Defensive Second Teams, was named Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie First Team, was a two-time Scoring Champion, led the league in rebounds once and four times in blocks, and had his no. 33 jersey retired by both the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Abdul-Jabbar also won a USBL championship as a head coach and two rings as an assistant coach for the Lakers. He won three NCAA championships, was named NCAA’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player three times, was a three-time Consensus First-Team All-American, and had his jersey retired by the UCLA Bruins. He was named Mr. Basketball USA twice in his high school days, made three First-Team Parade All-Americans, and recently won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work as an activist for African Americans. Needless to say, he was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – A Living Legend
A six-time NBA champion with six Most Valuable Player awards, the true definition of a basketball player, and arguably one of the greatest players in college basketball history, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continues to be considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. His work as a social rights activist and leader for the Black community has kept him relevant even decades after retiring from the game of basketball.
He boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics and refused to try out for the national team, protesting the unequal treatment of the Black community in the U.S. Abdul-Jabbar continued his efforts to raise awareness on these issues throughout his entire career and even up to this day. He’s written multiple books about African American history, including What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African American Inventors and On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance, both co-written with Raymond Obstfeld; Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement, with Alan Steinberg; Kareem, with Mignon McCarthy and Mycroft Holmes, Mycroft and Sherlock, and Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage with Anna Waterhouse, among others.
He was one of the writers for the revival of Veronica Mars and found plenty of success in pop culture as a television actor in Dancing With the Stars and Splash, as well as starring in Hollywood with box office success such as Airplane, Game of Death, Be Water, John Bronco, among others.
Abdul Jabbar’s legacy as the winningest player in the Most Valuable Player award history speaks volumes of how great he was. He won championship rings with two franchises, led the Lakers to five NBA championships, and dominated with his skyhook, blocked shots, and impressive rebounding average.
