Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

American basketball player

Audience24.6K
Fame77.9
Momentum2.3

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24.6K youtube followers

Audience24.6K
Fame77.9
Momentum2.3
Basketball Players rank#9
Wikipedia318.9K

Born 1947 · age 79United States

United States Basketball PlayersBasketball Player

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80 languages
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Age
79
Born 1947
Known for
Game of Death
1978

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

He held the NBA's all-time scoring record for 39 years — longer than most careers last — and retired with six MVP awards, a figure no one else has matched. The skyhook was unguardable, the career arc nearly two decades long, and the name itself a statement: Lew Alcindor became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at 24, a year after his first championship.

Biography

About

Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in 1947, he dominated New York City high school ball with 71 straight wins at Power Memorial, then won three consecutive national championships at UCLA under John Wooden. Drafted first overall by Milwaukee in 1969, he led the Bucks to a title in 1971 and took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Traded to the Lakers in 1975, he anchored the Showtime era across 14 seasons, winning five more championships and twice taking Finals MVP. He played 20 seasons, reached ten Finals, and retired in 1989 as the league's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points — a mark that st…

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In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

said1990

I'm not comfortable being preachy, but more people have to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court.

— Kareem (1990): p. 157

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

said1983

It was my first time away from home, my first experience in an all-black situation, and I found myself being punished for everything I'd ever been taught was right.

— Giant Steps (1983).

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

saidundated

When Bruce closed the schools, he felt he was unburdening himself of having to prove through his students that his system had merit. He didn't want to get into that.

— Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

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