Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been one of the most influential athletes in history, as he always tried to give a voice to those who didn’t have one, helping people however he could and always sending a message of love to the world.
However, Kareem also knew when to use hard words and take actions that would make others uncomfortable. He has always been firm in his beliefs, and no matter who would get offended by that, he would always defend what he thought was correct.
He was just like this from a very young age, and rare footage of a 20-year-old Lew Alcindor shows how serious he was about this, especially when it came to racism. In 1968, the UCLA student was interrogated by a group of reporters, trying to learn if he was about to boycott the 1968 Olympic Games set to take place that year.
Even though he was caught off guard by people a lot older than him, Alcindor kept his cool and defended his stance, although he never revealed that he would boycott the global event. Before this interview, Lew had met with some people to discuss the boycott of the Olympics to bring light to social justice matters.
The video shows the future six-time NBA champion at the Church, a place where he wasn’t supposed to be at that moment. He explained that he wasn’t in charge of making any statement and that professor Edward (the organizer) was supposed to handle all of that.
It’s safe to say that Kareem managed all these questions very well, and even though he ended up boycotting the Olympics, the player knew very well why he did that.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Praises LeBron James For Helping Kids Go To School
It’s been 55 years since that interview, and nothing has changed for Kareem. The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers legend has kept raising his voice against social injustice, and even when a fellow NBA player does something wrong, he’s ready to call them out.
On the other end, Abdul-Jabbar knows when somebody is doing things the right way and making a positive impact on the world. A couple of weeks ago, he showered LeBron James with praise, and not for the things he’s done on the court but for his work helping others fulfill their dreams.
KAJ has been a big advocate to help underprivileged people, and knowing all the things he had to endure during his younger days, he understands how hard it can be for a lot of people to make it in this world.
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