Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
(Born 1947)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1995
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Association Autographs
Position: C
Height: 7’2″
bb
bb
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “The Captain,” was known for the graceful skyhook that led his teams to win at all levels of basketball. Playing for Power Memorial Academy, UCLA, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Kareem led his teams to many championships. His combination of individual accolades and team success may never be matched in professional basketball. Kareem is clearly one of the top players to ever play the game of basketball.
Awards and Honors
- Known as Lew Alcindor in high school, Kareem led the Power Memorial Academy to 71 consecutive wins and three city titles.
- At UCLA Kareem continued his winning ways under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. The Bruins won the NCAA championship with Kareem in 1967, 1968, and 1969. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in each of those years.
- Abdul-Jabbar won the Rookie of the Year award in 1969-70 and was a 19-time All-Star during his career.
- Kareem won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award six times (1970-71, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1979-80).
- He also won six NBA championships, one with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 (playing with Oscar Robertson) and five with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988 (playing with future Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, and Bob McAdoo).
- Kareem was named a member of the NBA’s 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time teams.
Points of Interest
- Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship in 1971. Abdul-Jabbar had converted to Islam and his new name meant “the noble one, servant of the Almighty.” Kareem wanted to divorce himself from the name Alcindor because it was the name of a French planter who had owned his ancestors. The name continually reminded him of the slavery that was part of the history of Kareem’s family and his people.
- At his request, Abdul-Jabbar was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters. The foundation was built for the Lakers dynasty of the 1980s.
- Kareem’s basketball success led to appearances in movies, including Airplane in 1980 and the martial-arts film Game of Death in 1979.
- Abdul-Jabbar was the first player to play 20 years in the NBA. He averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in his career.
- Kareem retired from the NBA in 1989 as the game’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points.
Statistics
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com