Nineteen facts about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

  1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in April 16, 1947.
  2. His high school team won 71 consecutive games.
  3. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored more points than any other player in league history, won six NBA championships and a record six regular season MVP Awards.
  4. Lew Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar) was raised as a Catholic and attended St. Jude School in the Inwood section of Manhattan, but later converted to Islam.
  5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the son of Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Sr, a transit police officer and jazz musician.
  6. During his college career, Alcindor was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969).
  7. Lew Alcindor played three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1966-67 to 1968-69 under coach John Wooden, contributing to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses.
  8. The Harlem Globetrotters offered him $1 million to play for them, but he declined.
  9. The dunk was banned in college basketball after the 1967 season, primarily because of Alcindor's dominant use of the shot. It was not allowed again until 1976.
  10. While remaining relatively injury-free throughout his NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar twice broke his hand.
  11. On May 1, 1971, the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship, Alcindor adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

  12. In 1983, Abdul-Jabbar's house burnt down, incinerating many of his belongings including his beloved jazz LP collection. Many Lakers fans sent and brought him albums, which he found uplifting.
  13. Once he joined the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar began wearing his trademark goggles.
    At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most games played by a single player in the NBA; this would later be broken by Robert Parish.
  14. On June 28, 1989, after twenty professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. 
  15. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made the NBA's 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players of All Time in 1996.
  16. Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leading NBA scorer with 38,387 points, having collected six titles, six regular season MVP and two Finals MVP awards, fifteen NBA First or Second Teams, a record nineteen NBA All-Star call-ups and averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 blocks per game.
  17. Abdul-Jabbar suffers from migraines, and his use of cannabis to reduce the symptoms has caused legal ramifications.
  18. His first book, his autobiography Giant Steps, was written in 1983 with co-author Peter Knobler.