Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947 in New York City, New York) was a successful high school, collegiate, and professional NBA basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points. Today, he is a successful coach, author, and part-time actor. Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. (usually known as Lew Alcindor), to Cora and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor in Harlem, New York City, he was a center who grew to 7'2" (2.18 m) tall. Early yearsHigh schoolHe led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and a 96–6 overall record. CollegeHe played for the UCLA Bruins from 1965 to 1969 under coach John Wooden. During his time on the team, UCLA had 88 wins and only two losses. Alcindor graduated with a B.A. from UCLA. At UCLA, he suffered a scratched left cornea; from then on, he mostly played wearing goggles. Professional athleticsThe Harlem Globetrotters offered him $1 million to play them, but he declined. On a coin-flip with the Phoenix Suns, he would be the number one pick in the 1969 NBA Draft pick. The winner of the coin-flip was the Milwaukee Bucks, where he would play five seasons. In 1975, the Bucks traded him and reserve center Walt Wesley to the Los Angeles Lakers, for center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters and rookie blue chippers Dave Myers and Junior Bridgeman. While at UCLA Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam. He took his Arabic name in 1971, publicly announcing it on May 1 of that year, one day after the Bucks completed a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets (known today as the Washington Wizards) in the NBA Finals. However, he has repeatedly denied any connections to the Nation of Islam, having been converted by a Turkish imam of the Hanafi school of thought, under whom he studied at UCLA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also notable for his physical fitness regimen. While in LA, he started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility. He was also a pupil of the kung fu master Bruce Lee, studying Lee's Jeet Kune Do style. Abdul-Jabbar was famous for his "Skyhook" shot, which was notoriously difficult to defend against. He averaged over 24 points and 10 rebounds over his career, and maintained a solid level of play well into his late 30s. He was named to the All-Star team even in his final season. After a then-record 20 pro seasons, Abdul- Jabbar retired from the game in 1989, leaving a legacy of professionalism, class, and success. NBA Statistics
CoachingAbdul-Jabbar had been interested in coaching since his retirement, and given the influence he has had on the league, he had presumed those chances would come easily. However, during his playing years, he had developed a reputation of being introverted and sullen, often refusing to speak to the press, leading to the impression that he had nothing to say. This reputation contributed greatly to his lack of coaching opporunities. Since he began lobbying for a coaching position in 1995, he had only been able to work as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics, helping mentor their young centers, Michael Olowokandi and Jerome James, respectively. He was the head coach in 2002 of the Oklahoma Storm of the USBL, but failed in a bid to get the head coach position for Columbia University a year later. He then worked as a scout for the New York Knicks. Finally, on September 2, 2005, Abdul-Jabbar returned to the Lakers as a special assistant to Phil Jackson to help develop the team's young center Andrew Bynum. He has also served as a volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona since 1998. Athletic honors
Outside basketballActorPlaying for the Lakers allowed Jabbar to try his hand at acting. In 1980, he played co-pilot Roger Murdock in David Zucker's comedy, Airplane!. He had numerous other TV and film roles, often playing himself, such as in the hit Chevy Chase movie Fletch and the ABC sitcom Full House. Other notable roles include 1978's Game of Death, where his character Hakim fought Bruce Lee's character Billy Lo, and in Stephen King's telemovie version of The Stand. He also played himself in Slam Dunk Ernest starring Jim Varney and made a brief non-speaking cameo appearance in another David Zucker comedy, 1998's BASEketball. In addition, Abdul-Jabbar was co-executive producer of the 1994 TV movie, The Vernon Johns Story. AuthorHe is also a bestselling author, the latest of his books being Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes (Publisher: Broadway 2004, ISBN 0385503385), co-written with Anthony Walton. It is the history of the 761st Battalion, an all-black tank squadron. Other books:
NotesAbdul-Jabbar has a prescription to smoke marijuana in the state of California, the result of nausea-inducing migraine headaches [1]. Abdul-Jabbar also was successful in suing Miami Dolphins running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar because he felt like Karim was sponging off of the name he made famous by having the Abdul-Jabbar moniker and number 33 on Dolphins jerseys, as a result the younger one had to change his jersey nameplate to simply 'Abdul' while playing for the Dolphins[2]. While remaining virtually injury-free during his NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand twice. The first time was during a pre-season game in 1974. He was bumped hard and got his eye scratched which angered him enough to punch the basket support stanchion. When he returned after missing the first 16 games of the season, he started wearing protective goggles. The second time he broke his hand was in the opening game of the 1977-78 season. Two minutes into the game, Abdul-Jabbar punched Milwaukee's Kent Benson in retaliation for an overly aggressive elbow. He was out for two months. This page about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar News stories about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar External links for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Videos for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Wikis about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Discussion Groups about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Blogs about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Images of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
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He was out for two months. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. Two minutes into the game, Abdul-Jabbar punched Milwaukee's Kent Benson in retaliation for an overly aggressive elbow. His tenure as coach was nowhere near as successful as his playing career, and he resigned following the 1994 season with a 202-345 record. The second time he broke his hand was in the opening game of the 1977-78 season. Hired by the Bullets as a vice president after his retirement, Unseld was made coach in 1987. When he returned after missing the first 16 games of the season, he started wearing protective goggles. He took the Baltimore (and after a move, the Washington) Bullets to four NBA finals, and won the championship in 1978 over the Seattle Supersonics. He was bumped hard and got his eye scratched which angered him enough to punch the basket support stanchion. Famed for his rebounding and bone-jarring picks, Unseld made up for his lack of size (6’6”) with brute strength and sheer determination. The first time was during a pre-season game in 1974. He became only the second person ever to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (Wilt Chamberlain being the first). While remaining virtually injury-free during his NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand twice. Unseld played center for the University of Louisville and was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Bullets in 1968. Abdul-Jabbar also was successful in suing Miami Dolphins running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar because he felt like Karim was sponging off of the name he made famous by having the Abdul-Jabbar moniker and number 33 on Dolphins jerseys, as a result the younger one had to change his jersey nameplate to simply 'Abdul' while playing for the Dolphins[2]. Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld (born March 14, 1946 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former basketball player and coach in the NBA. Abdul-Jabbar has a prescription to smoke marijuana in the state of California, the result of nausea-inducing migraine headaches [1]. Other books:. It is the history of the 761st Battalion, an all-black tank squadron. He is also a bestselling author, the latest of his books being Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes (Publisher: Broadway 2004, ISBN 0385503385), co-written with Anthony Walton. In addition, Abdul-Jabbar was co-executive producer of the 1994 TV movie, The Vernon Johns Story. He also played himself in Slam Dunk Ernest starring Jim Varney and made a brief non-speaking cameo appearance in another David Zucker comedy, 1998's BASEketball. Other notable roles include 1978's Game of Death, where his character Hakim fought Bruce Lee's character Billy Lo, and in Stephen King's telemovie version of The Stand. He had numerous other TV and film roles, often playing himself, such as in the hit Chevy Chase movie Fletch and the ABC sitcom Full House. In 1980, he played co-pilot Roger Murdock in David Zucker's comedy, Airplane!. Playing for the Lakers allowed Jabbar to try his hand at acting. He has also served as a volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona since 1998. Finally, on September 2, 2005, Abdul-Jabbar returned to the Lakers as a special assistant to Phil Jackson to help develop the team's young center Andrew Bynum. He then worked as a scout for the New York Knicks. He was the head coach in 2002 of the Oklahoma Storm of the USBL, but failed in a bid to get the head coach position for Columbia University a year later. Since he began lobbying for a coaching position in 1995, he had only been able to work as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics, helping mentor their young centers, Michael Olowokandi and Jerome James, respectively. This reputation contributed greatly to his lack of coaching opporunities. However, during his playing years, he had developed a reputation of being introverted and sullen, often refusing to speak to the press, leading to the impression that he had nothing to say. Abdul-Jabbar had been interested in coaching since his retirement, and given the influence he has had on the league, he had presumed those chances would come easily. After a then-record 20 pro seasons, Abdul- Jabbar retired from the game in 1989, leaving a legacy of professionalism, class, and success. He was named to the All-Star team even in his final season. He averaged over 24 points and 10 rebounds over his career, and maintained a solid level of play well into his late 30s. Abdul-Jabbar was famous for his "Skyhook" shot, which was notoriously difficult to defend against. He was also a pupil of the kung fu master Bruce Lee, studying Lee's Jeet Kune Do style. While in LA, he started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also notable for his physical fitness regimen. However, he has repeatedly denied any connections to the Nation of Islam, having been converted by a Turkish imam of the Hanafi school of thought, under whom he studied at UCLA. He took his Arabic name in 1971, publicly announcing it on May 1 of that year, one day after the Bucks completed a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets (known today as the Washington Wizards) in the NBA Finals. While at UCLA Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam. In 1975, the Bucks traded him and reserve center Walt Wesley to the Los Angeles Lakers, for center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters and rookie blue chippers Dave Myers and Junior Bridgeman. The winner of the coin-flip was the Milwaukee Bucks, where he would play five seasons. On a coin-flip with the Phoenix Suns, he would be the number one pick in the 1969 NBA Draft pick. The Harlem Globetrotters offered him $1 million to play them, but he declined. At UCLA, he suffered a scratched left cornea; from then on, he mostly played wearing goggles. from UCLA. Alcindor graduated with a B.A. During his time on the team, UCLA had 88 wins and only two losses. He played for the UCLA Bruins from 1965 to 1969 under coach John Wooden. He led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and a 96–6 overall record. . Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. (usually known as Lew Alcindor), to Cora and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor in Harlem, New York City, he was a center who grew to 7'2" (2.18 m) tall. Today, he is a successful coach, author, and part-time actor. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947 in New York City, New York) was a successful high school, collegiate, and professional NBA basketball player. A Season on the Reservation: My Soujourn with the White Mountain Apaches with Stephen Singular (2000) ISBN 0688170773. Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement with Alan Steinburg (2000) ISBN 0380813416. Selected from Giant Steps (Writers' Voices) (1999) ISBN 0785799125. Kareem (1990) ISBN 0394559274. Giant Steps with Peter Knobler (1987) ISBN 0553050443. #7 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003. Field goals made (15,837). Field goals attempted (28,307). Minutes (57,446). Holds NBA career record for (in addition to total points):
NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985). NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980) (a record 6 times). Played on NBA champion teams (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). NBA Rookie of the Year (1970). NBA:
Three-time First Team All-American (1967-69). Player of the Year (1967, 1969). College:
Points per Game - 24.6 (12th highest). Points - 38,387 (highest). Blocks per Game - 2.57. Blocks - 3189 (2nd highest). Steals per Game -. Steals - 1160. Assist per Game - 3.6. Assists - 5660 (29th highest). Rebounds per Game - 11.2 (25th highest). Rebounds - 17,440 (3rd highest). 3-Point % - 5.6. Free Throw % - 72.1. Field Goal % - 55.9 (8th highest). Games Played - 1560 (2nd highest in NBA history). Jersey Number - 33. |