Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - The Greatest?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest players in NBA History. Here’s why
In the latest in our series on the best players to have played in the NBA, Roger Cumberbatch profiles perhaps the greatest of them all, Kareem Abdul-Jabar.
Kareem - “The Greatest”
In the inner circles of the NBA, greatness is a word that has been synonymous with championships, statistics, and awards. So what does one call a player who has the numbers and has accomplished things on and off the court that nobody has matched, decades after their retirement?
That player is the GREATEST and is so great, that he is referred to by one name, Kareem. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest player in NBA history, and this, his story, is why he is the best of our 10 Greatest Players In NBA History and part of the 5 greatest centers in NBA history.
On the 7th February 2023, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,337 points was surpassed by LeBron James, but don’t let that get in the way of a good story.
Lew Alcindor??
Born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, Alcindor would make his first statement, off of the court when he changed his name. Alcindor became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the summer of 1968 when he converted to Islam. Kareem boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics to the social injustices and unequal treatment of black people in the United States.
Fast forward to 2020 and the racial and social injustice issues currently taking place in society, Kareem’s statement in 1968 is influencing the statements of black athletes in ALL professional sports, all over the world.
Black athletes, thanks in large part to the movement that Kareem helped initiate along with Muhammad Ali, owe the ability to use their platform today to express themselves and spread their messages via social media.
Kareem - The Beginning of an Amazing Career
Kareem was larger than life, literally and figuratively, he stood at 7’ 2”, and weighed 225 lbs.
To give some perspective on his size and how it was not an overnight growth spurt like so many of the basketball players in the NBA. At the age of 9, he was 5’ 8”, and by the time he was 13 years old, he had grown to 6’ 8”.
Kareem was a force in high school, due to his obvious height advantage over the children in his age group.
Kareem was a winner from high school to the pros. He led his high school team, Power Memorial Academy, to a three-peat of New York City Catholic championships, a 71-game winning streak, and an overall record of 79-2 during his time at the school.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at UCLA
How is this for your “official” debut? Kareem was a fixture on the bench of UCLA under legendary Head Coach John Wooden in his rookie campaign, so in his first game of his sophomore season, he dropped 56 points, breaking a school record in the process.
In 3 seasons of Kareem playing at UCLA, the Bruins had an astounding record of 88-2.
That was a brief background to the greatness that Kareem would ultimately achieve, and be known for, however, it was when Abdul-Jabbar entered the NBA, that the whole basketball world would take notice.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career points Per Game
Kareem in the NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks, in only their 2nd year of existence as a team, selected Kareem 1st overall in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Some insight into the mentality of Kareem, even as a rookie about to enter the NBA, he turned down a $1 million dollar offer to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, and chose not to play for the New York Nets, who picked him 1st in the ABA Draft.
The Bucks offered Abdul-Jabbar more money than the Nets, and won his services in a coin toss.
“Imagine deciding Lebron James’ future with a coin toss?”
As a rookie for the Bucks, Kareem led the team to a 56-26, which was a marked improvement from the previous season’s record of 27-55. Milwaukee finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference, and Kareem would go on to win the NBA Rookie Of The Year Award.
In Kareem’s 2nd season, after picking up Oscar Robertson, the team would win 20 straight games, and finish the regular season with 66 wins. Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA MVP Award, and the scoring title.
Milwaukee, thanks in large part to the talent of Kareem and Robertson, ran through the playoffs like a hot knife through butter, finishing with a 12-2 record, and Kareem winning the NBA Finals MVP Award.
On May 1st, 1971, he publicly changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, even though he had done so with his conversion to the Islamic faith while in college at UCLA.
“SHOWTIME & SKYHOOKS”
Kareem would move on from the Bucks to win 5 more titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, from 1975 to 1989. It was as a Laker, that he would develop the most unstoppable shot in basketball.
The “Skyhook” shot was used and perfected by no other player than Kareem. A slow, high-arcing, flip shot over the shoulder from the low post, the Skyhook’s elegance and grace would lead Kareem to scoring title after scoring title as a member of the Lakers.
Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, all were prolific scorers during their time, and after they have all retired, Kareem is STILL the leader in points scored.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Career Achievements
Kareem was the 1970 Rookie Of The Year, he scored 38,387 points, won 6 NBA championships, 2 NBA Finals MVP awards, 6 NBA regular-season MVP awards, was a 19 time NBA All-Star, 2-time NBA scoring champion, he won the NBA rebounding title in 1976, and was the NBA leader in blocked shots 4 times.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Greatest Of All Time?
Kareem, with no disrespect to the others who share that first name, refers to only one person in history when uttered publicly. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was undeniably the greatest basketball player on the list of The 10 Greatest Players In NBA History. Over 4 decades after his retirement, he is still the NBA leader in points scored, blocked shots, and NBA All-Star selections (19).
Kareem won everywhere he went and influenced both the Civil Rights’ Movement and the empowerment of black athletes today.
Check out these profiles of more NBA Greats
Wilt Chamberlain - The Big Dipper
Tim Duncan - The Big Fundamental
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