A Legacy On and Off the Court: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The story of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In this story we take a look at the impact KAJ had on basketball and his achievements outside of the sport. Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. he grew up in Harlem, New York City and was the only child of Cora Lillian and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. He was always very tall for his age, as he could already slam dunk at the age of 13 years old. At high school, Alcindor would start his record-breaking basketball journey. “I realized very early in life that basketball was a blood sport by growing up here. I got recruited in the eighth grade to play in high school. That doesn’t happen very often, but being in New York City, everyone wants the best team.’’

He continued his reign during his college years when he started playing varsity when he was only a freshman at UCLA. Hundreds of colleges recruited him, including segregated Southern teams that were willing to break the color line for his services. Under the guidance of coach John Wooden, Alcindor won three Player of the Year awards and three national titles in three years. While Michael Jordan was considered the best player in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was perhaps the most accomplished player, with his 19 All-Star game appearances, six MVPs, and six championships and the list goes on.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t limited to his skills on the court. After leading the Bucks to their first championship title, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Similar to Muhammad Ali, Kareem faced criticism but he did not let it stop him. Throughout his career, he proved that actions speak louder than words. In the 60s, he changed the political role of black college athletes. He was one of the most prominent faces who boycotted the 1968 Olympics because of the unequal treatment of African Americans in the United States.

After his basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar became a best-selling author, with many of his books touching on African-American history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was more than a legendary ball player. He laid the blueprint for basketball players to use their voice and stand up for social issues. The first basketball player who refused to ‘shut up and dribble’.