Kareem Abdul Jabbar Biography

The American basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in 1947 in New York City. Kareem’s talents on the basketball court were evident from the time he was a young child, and by the time he reached high school he was a six-foot, eight-inch powerhouse on the team. After leading his high school team to a staggering seventy-one game winning streak and three championships, it was no surprise that Abdul-Jabbar was then offered an athletic scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles.

Kareem began playing for the UCLA basketball team in 1967, and quickly distinguished himself on the court. He contributed to the team’s staggering eighty-eight wins over the course of a three year period, earning multiple award recognitions, including: the Naismith College Player of the Year award; three Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament awards; Player of the Year for two years; three Helms Foundation Player of the Year award; and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

After college, Kareem Abdul Jabbar played first for the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Los Angeles Lakers. His career as a professional player is as impressive as his college record, earning him six NBA Most Valuable player awards and nineteen NBA All-Stars, in addition to dozens of other accolades. By the time he retired in 1989, Jabbar had risen to the all-time leader in points scored for the NBA, in addition to leader for games played, field goals made, and defensive rebounds. In 1996, he was recognized as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

While still playing for the LA Lakers, Kareem Abdul Jabbar launched a film career which began with his appearance in the 1980 comedy film Airplane! Additional roles include: Fletch, Forget Paris, and Troop Beverly Hills, in addition to roles on the television shows: Martin, Everybody Loves Raymond, Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Scrubs, to name a few. In addition to his career in film, Kareem has authored multiple books, beginning with his autobiography Giant Steps, released in 1983. Addition publications include: A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches; On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance; and What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African American Inventors.

A frequent commentator on social and political issues, Kareem Abdul Jabbar has also contributed to columns in Time Magazine and has appeared on multiple television talk show segments, such as Meet the Press.