The NBA has seen many great players in its day. There have been players from all over the world and players who have accomplished great things on every level of basketball.
- Lew Alcindor: The Beginning
- Lew Alcindor Becomes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar And Dominates The NBA
- Kareem Goes To Hollywood And Finds A Little Magic
- Kareem’s Career Outside Of Basketball
- Next
- Bill Russell: The Greatest Winner In NBA History
- The “Phantom Skyhook Foul” Of The 1988 NBA Finals That Helped The Lakers Win The Title
- When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Set The All-Time Scoring Record In 1984
- The Legend Of Dr. J.: When ABA Star Julius Erving Finally Won An NBA Championship
- NBA Mount Rushmore: The Best Players At Each Position
Perhaps no single player has accomplished more on every level of basketball than the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is in most people’s G.O.A.T. debate when it comes to the NBA’s best players.
While most people don’t have him as number one for the NBA G.O.A.T., if you look at the full package of Kareem, you might have to admit this: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the overall G.O.A.T. of the game of basketball. Still, there was and is much more to Kareem than the game itself…
Lew Alcindor: The Beginning
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947. He went by the name of Lew Alcindor, and he grew up in New York City.
This is where Lew would fall in love with the game of basketball. The game of basketball was a natural fit for young Lew, as he was already 5’8″ by the eighth grade.
Lew attended Power Memorial Academy in New York City, and he would go on to have possibly the greatest high school basketball career ever. Lew set New York City school records in scoring and rebounds, finishing with 2067 points (his points record has since been broken).
In his four high school years, all varsity, Lew led his team to a 79-2 record while also leading his team to an incredible 71 consecutive wins. Lee also led his school to three straight city titles. The National Sports Writers, in 2000, named Lew’s team “The #1 High School Team of the Century.”
Lew Alcindor was so dominant in his high school career that the NCAA took notice, and they decided to change a rule in college, to try to slow him down. This rule was to not allow players to dunk the basketball.
Lew attended the University of California, otherwise known as UCLA, in 1966. Despite the rule change, Lew continued his utter dominance. Lew played three years at UCLA and averaged 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds on 63.9% shooting.
How did Lew Alcindor dominate without the option of dunking the ball? He developed a shot that would become his signature and the most unguardable shot in NBA history. Yes, I’m talking about the Skyhook.
In Lew’s three years, he led UCLA to three NCAA championships while winning three Most Outstanding Player awards at the Final Four. He also was named College Player of the Year twice.
UCLA went 88-2 in Lew’s three years, including going 30-0 in 1967. His dominance in college was never seen before he arrived at UCLA, and it hasn’t been seen since he left.
What made Lew’s 88-2 record in college even more incredible was the two losses UCLA suffered. First, UCLA lost to the University of Houston, where Lew suffered an eye injury. The second was to USC, where USC held the ball since there was no shot clock then, which limited UCLA’s shot opportunities.
The game against USC has famously been dubbed the “stall game,” and Lew only attempted four shots, scoring 10 points in the loss. Still, nothing, including a ban on dunking, or a team holding the ball, could slow Lew Alcindor down.
Lew Alcindor Becomes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar And Dominates The NBA
The summer of 1968 was an important time in Lew Alcindor’s life. He started to study Islam and soon after converted to Sunni Islam.
At the same time he converted to Islam, Lew boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics because of America’s treatment of African Americans. By 1969, Lew was drafted first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, and thus his 20-year NBA career began.
Lew Alcindor started his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, but this wasn’t the only option Lew had. He was offered $1 million to play for the famous Harlem Globetrotters, and he was also drafted first overall by the New York Nets of the ABA.
Yes, everyone wanted the UCLA star on their team, but the Bucks and the NBA would be the lucky ones to get his service. As a rookie, Lew turned things around for Milwaukee, which was in only its second season as a franchise.
The Bucks won 27 games in their inaugural season, and the next year, Lew’s rookie season, the Bucks won 56 games. As a rookie, Lew averaged 28.8 points, which was second best in the league, and 14.5 rebounds, good enough for third best in the league.
The Bucks would lose in the Eastern Division Finals 4-1, ending their incredible season. Still, it didn’t all go to waste, as Lew was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.
The following season would become legendary for Lew Alcindor. For one, he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. On top of the name change, he also won his first NBA title after the Bucks defeated the Baltimore Bullets 4-0 in the NBA Finals.
Kareem led the league in scoring during his second season, averaging 31.7 points per game while grabbing 16.0 rebounds per game. By his second season, Kareem played alongside NBA legend Oscar Robertson, but Kareem proved to be the best player on the team.
Kareem averaged 27.0 points and 18.5 rebounds per game in the Finals, on 60.5% shooting from the field. In the 1970-71 season, players like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Willis Reed were in the league, but Kareem was already proving to be the league’s best player.
In his second season, on top of winning the title and leading the league in scoring, Kareem won the MVP award, and he led the league in win shares with 22.3. After a dominant 1970-71 season that led to a championship, Kareem would continue to play great basketball, but he wouldn’t see the same team success.
Kareem Goes To Hollywood And Finds A Little Magic
After winning the NBA championship in his second season, people believed Kareem would win multiple titles during the 1970s and create a dynasty with the Milwaukee Bucks. Kareem was ready to prove these people right, and he started off great, as he won the MVP, his second straight, in the 1971-72 season.
Kareem averaged a career-high 34.8 points and 16.6 rebounds en route to his second MVP award. He led the Bucks to a 63-19 record, the second-best in the league.
Despite Kareem and the Bucks looking good all season, they met a powerhouse in the Western Conference Finals, the then record-setting 69-win Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won 4-2 to defeat the Bucks, and they’d go on to win the NBA championship.
The next three seasons saw a lack of success for Kareem and the Bucks. They lost twice in the playoffs before missing the postseason altogether in the 1974-75 season.
The Bucks did not see as much success after winning the title in the 1970-71 season, but Kareem did win his third MVP in the 1973-74 season, where he averaged 27.0 points and 14.5 rebounds.
After the 1974-75 season, Oscar Robertson retired from the NBA, and this left Kareem alone to fend for himself. He eventually requested a trade, asking to go to three teams.
Kareem’s first choice was the New York Knicks, but he also said he wouldn’t mind going to the Washington Bullets or the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, the main reason for the trade request wasn’t because of Robertson retiring but because he believed Milwaukee didn’t fit his cultural needs.
Kareem would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before the 1975-76 season, but things wouldn’t necessarily be greener on the other side. The Lakers wouldn’t see much success with Kareem, as the team missed the playoffs in Kareem’s first year and had playoff disappointments in the next three seasons.
Kareem, on the other hand, saw success as he won two more MVPs in the 1975-76 and the 1976-77 seasons. Still, Kareem’s efforts would do little for his team, and the Lakers knew they needed to give Kareem some help.
This help would be found in the 1979 NBA Draft when the Lakers drafted college star Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. This draft selection, pairing the young point guard up with Kareem, would essentially restart Kareem’s career.
In Magic’s first year, the Lakers went on a rampage. They won 60 games, second-best in the league behind Boston’s 61 games. Kareem won his record sixth MVP award in the 1979-80 season, and the Lakers would steamroll to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers faced off against the Julius Erving-led Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals, and Kareem was having himself a series. Kareem averaged 33.4 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 4.6 blocks per game through the series’ first five games, and the Lakers led 3-2.
Kareem and the Lakers looked great, but they did suffer a setback midway through Game 5. The MVP severely sprained his ankle, but he did finish the game to help the Lakers win 108-103 behind his 40 points.
The Lakers were hit with some bad news as it was announced that Kareem would miss Game 6. Luckily for the Lakers, their star rookie, Magic Johnson, was ready to prove why he would end up being one of the greatest.
Magic had one of the greatest games in NBA Finals history when he scored 42 points while grabbing 15 rebounds in the Lakers’ 123-107 victory. Magic famously started the game at center with Kareem out.
Even though Kareem had the better overall series, the Finals MVP was given to Magic. This, I doubt, bothered Kareem, as he was now a two-time NBA champion.
This wouldn’t be the last championship for Kareem and his Lakers in the 1980s, as they would go on to dominate the league and reunite the Lakers’ rivalry with the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers, led by Kareem and Magic, went to nine NBA Finals in the 80s, winning five of them. Kareem became the oldest Finals MVP winner in 1985 when he was 38 years old.
The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the 1985 NBA Finals 4-2, and Kareem won his Finals MVP by averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Kareem may have been older, but he proved why he is a legend in the game of basketball.
On April 5, 1985, Kareem broke Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time scoring record against the Utah Jazz in a game that was played in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kareem broke the record by using his signature Skyhook shot.
After Kareem broke the record, the game was stopped to allow the fans to congratulate Kareem. The level of respect fans had for Kareem was incredible, as he truly deserved it.
“Cap” as Kareem was called, would play until the 1988-89 season, retiring as the NBA’s all-time leader in points (38,387), field goals made (15,837), and minutes played (57,446). He retired with career averages of 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game on 55.9% shooting.
Kareem won six NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, and an NBA record six MVP awards. There may not be a more accomplished player in NBA history.
Kareem’s NBA career may have ended, but he was just getting started. “Cap” always had other interests, even during his playing days, and he had let the world know that he was more than just an athlete.
Kareem’s Career Outside Of Basketball
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was always more than just a basketball player. First and foremost, he was and still is a civil rights activist.
From the time he boycotted the 1968 Olympics because of America’s treatment of African Americans to speaking out on the current issues of police brutality against African Americans, Kareem has never been bashful about speaking up against injustice. This has caused the media to talk bad about him in the past, but none of that has ever bothered Kareem.
Perhaps one of the most popular moments in Kareem’s career as an activist is when he, alongside other sports stars, including Bill Russell, met up in 1967 with Muhammad Ali to support the boxer, who refused to join the war against Vietnam after he was drafted. This has become known as the ‘Ali Summit.’
On top of being a civil rights activist, Kareem was also a martial artist, famously training under the legendary Bruce Lee. This martial arts training with Lee led Kareem to another career he had, which was becoming an actor.
Kareem appeared on the TV show Mannix for an episode in 1971, but it was in Bruce Lee’s movie, The Game of Death, in 1978, where he’d break out into the film business. On top of being in Lee’s film, Kareem appeared in many other movies and TV shows, including his famous role as Roger Murdock in the movie Airplane!.
Kareem also worked as a coach in the NBA, as he served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle SuperSonics before serving as an assistant under Phil Jackson and the Lakers from 2005 to 2011. Kareem won two titles as an assistant with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.
In 2002, Kareem won a championship as the head coach of the Oklahoma Storm, a team in the United States Basketball League (USBL). No matter what Kareem did and where he went, he seemed to win every time.
Kareem, who seemed to win in everything, faced his toughest opponent in 2009 when he was diagnosed with a form of leukemia called Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. But like everything else Kareem had done in his life, he’d do it again with his illness.
Kareem would announce in 2011 on Twitter that he was cancer free, once again proving that he’d win anything placed in front of him.
re my medical condition, I am 100% cancer free !!
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) February 4, 2011
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won many awards in his life, but maybe none bigger than when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 by President Obama. No one has been as much of a trailblazer in life as Kareem has. His ability to win, educate people on important matters, and inspire people is unmatched.
LeBron James may be closing in on Kareem’s all-time scoring record, and even when he passes Kareem, that’ll never change the fact that Kareem is one of the best NBA players in league history and one of their biggest activists.
With his body of work, it truly is safe to say that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the best basketball player on every level that the world has ever seen. We at Fadeaway World tip our hats to Kareem for his legendary career… Here’s to you, Cap.
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