Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
See all media
See all related content →
Feb. 19, 2023, 11:34 PM ET (AP)
Tatum scores All-Star record 55, Team Giannis wins 184-175
Jayson Tatum put on a record-setting show, and made Giannis Antetokounmpo look like a genius
Feb. 19, 2023, 10:05 PM ET (AP)
The great Bill Russell remembered at NBA All-Star weekend
This was the first All-Star weekend since the death of 11-time champion, Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach Bill Russell
Feb. 18, 2023, 5:07 PM ET (AP)
NBA All-Star Game: All you need to know about Sunday's event
The 72nd NBA All-Star Game takes place Sunday night in Salt Lake City
Summary
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also called (until 1971) Lew Alcindor, byname of Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. , (born April 16, 1947, New York, New York, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player who, as a 7-foot 2-inch- (2.18-metre-) tall centre, dominated the game throughout the 1970s and early ’80s.
(Read Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Britannica essay on the New York Rens.)
Britannica Quiz
Great Moments in Sports Quiz
Alcindor played for Power Memorial Academy on the varsity for four years, and his total of 2,067 points set a New York City high-school record (that has since been broken). His offensive skill was so developed coming out of high school that the collegiate basketball rules committee, fearing he would be able to score at will, made dunking illegal prior to his enrollment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1965. Despite the new rule, he set a UCLA scoring record with 56 points in his first game. Playing for renowned coach John Wooden, Alcindor helped lead UCLA to three National Collegiate Athletic Association championships (1967–69), and during his stay at UCLA the team lost only two games.
The no-dunking rule was rescinded in the years after Alcindor graduated.
Alcindor joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks for the 1969–70 season and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1970–71 the Bucks won the NBA championship, and Alcindor led the league in scoring (2,596 points) and points-per-game average (31.7), as he did in 1971–72 (2,822 points; 34.8). Having converted to Islam while at UCLA, Alcindor took the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. In 1975 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the NBA championship in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. In 1984 he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s career scoring total of 31,419 points.
Although Abdul-Jabbar lacked the physical strength of NBA centres Chamberlain and Willis Reed, he brought an excellent shooting touch to the position and a wide range of graceful post moves, including his sweeping, nearly indefensible sky hook. He also was an outstanding passer. Abdul-Jabbar retired at the end of the 1988–89 season, having been voted NBA Most Valuable Player a record six times.
By the end of his extraordinarily long career, he had set NBA records for most points (38,387; since broken by LeBron James), most field goals made (15,837), and most minutes played (57,446). At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar had also amassed the most blocked shots in league history (3,189; since broken by Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo) and the third most career rebounds (17,440). He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 and was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996.
Away from the basketball court, Abdul-Jabbar pursued interests in acting and writing. He appeared on television and in a handful of films, including a memorable turn as a copilot in the comedy
Airplane! (1980). His autobiography, Giant Steps, was published in 1983. His writings on the African American experience also included Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement (1996; with Alan Steinberg), Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes (2004; with Anthony Walton), On the Shoulders of Giants: My Personal Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance (2007; with Raymond Obstfeld), and the children’s book What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors (2012; with Obstfeld).
In addition, he wrote Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship on and off the Court (2017) as well as a mystery series (with Anna Waterhouse) about Sherlock Holmes’s older brother, Mycroft: Mycroft Holmes (2015), Mycroft and Sherlock (2018), and Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage (2019). Abdul-Jabbar also did some basketball coaching and consulting, including a stint on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona. In 2016 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
(One of the Greatest Basketball Players of All Time)
Birthday: April 16, 1947 (Aries)
Born In: New York, New York, United States
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is hailed as one of the greatest Basketball players from America.
He has also worked as a basketball coach and is a top-selling author. In his prolific career, he played 20 seasons with the National Basketball Association (NBA) before he retired. His dominant winning streak earned him several accolades. At the time of his retirement, he was NBA’s all-time leader in nine categories, including points scored and games played. He won six NBA championships, once representing Milwaukee Bucks and representing The Los Angeles Lakers the other five times. He has established himself as one of the most talented and masterful figures. His signature ‘skyhook’ is widely considered basketball’s most classic weapon. Upon his retirement, he began writing and documenting his career. He has also written several cultural books and appeared in various movies and TV shows. In his unstoppable career, he has succeeded in almost every turn and he constantly engages himself with politics. His fascinating life was also the subject for a documentary. He currently is a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter and a contributing writer for the Guardian.
Image Credit
Image Credit
Image Credit
Image Credit
Image Credit
Previous Next
Birthday: April 16, 1947 (Aries)
Born In: New York, New York, United States
Quick Facts
Girlfriend: Cheryl Pistono (Ex)
Also Known As: Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr
Age: 75 Years, 75 Year Old Males
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Habiba Abdul-Jabbar (1971—1978)
father: Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Sr.
mother: Cora Lillian
children: Adam Abdul-Jabbar, Amir Abdul-Jabbar, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem Abdul Jabbar Jr., Sultana Abdul-Jabbar
Born Country: United States
Quotes By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Coaches
Height: 2.18 m
U.S. State: New Yorkers
More Facts
education: University Of California, Los Angeles
awards: NBA Rookie of the Year Award
NBA All-Rookie Team
All-NBA Team
Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA Team
NBA All-Defensive Team
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA Team
All-NBA Team
NBA All-Defensive Team
All-NBA Team
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA Team
NBA All-Defensive Team
All-NBA Team
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
NBA All-Defensive Team
All-NBA Team
NBA All-Defensive Team
All-NBA Team
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
All-NBA Team
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work
Presidential Medal of Freedom
California Hall of Fame
Recommended For You
Childhood & Early Life
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.
on April 16, 1947 in New York City to Cora Lillian and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. His growth spurt that made him taller than most people when he was very young, drew him considerable attention.
He started playing basketball early. At school, he led Jack Donahue’s Power Memorial Academy team to win three New York City Catholic championships. He was nicknamed ‘The tower from Power’ after this.
The seven-foot-one-inch player enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and soon won three collegiate championships while also studying for his degree.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for UCLA under John Wooden, beginning 1966. He was the main contributor to the team’s record of wins. He was awarded as the Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament (1967, 1968, and 1969). He also became the first Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969.
He won the USBWA College Player of the Year and the Helms Foundation Player of the Year at UCLA.
Despite his proven prowess, he completed studying before declaring for the NBA draft.
In the first nationally televised college basketball game, his team faced Guy Lewis’s Houston Cougars. Abdul-Jabbar was suffering from a scratch on his left cornea and scored only 15 points. Cougars won 71-69. This match has been dubbed ‘Game of the Century’.
He was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks for $1.4 million in 1969. Bucks claimed the second place his contribution, in NBA’s Eastern Division. He was awarded the ‘NBA Rookie of the Year’.
He remained vital to Bucks as he led them to victory match after match for four straight years and was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) thrice. However, he wanted to shift either to the Knicks or the Los Angeles due to personal reasons.
He was acquired by Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He dominated his tenure there by leading in the number of minutes played, rebounding, and blocked shots. He won this fourth MVP award.
His association with Lakers is vividly remembered for his trademark goggles, which he wore to avoid damage to his eyes.
He had a strong season in 1976-77 when he led the Lakers to the best record in the NBA and won his fifth MVP award.
With him, the Lakers won the All-NBA Second Team twice, the All-Defense First Team once, and the All-Defense Second Team once. They went on to become the most dominant team and won 5 NBA Championships with the powerful Abdul-Jabbar in center.
He broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for most career points in 1984. He gained weight later in his career in order to withstand playing at the center position in his 40s.
Continue Reading Below
He announced his retirement on 28 June 1989, at the age of 42. His retirement tour was studded with standing ovations, gifts from his fans, etc. In his final season, the Lakers entered the NBA finals but lost to the Pistons.
At the time of his retirement, he held the record for most games played by a single player in the NBA, the most points scored, most field goals made, and most minutes played.
In 2005, he became a special assistant coach for the Lakers.
He previously worked as an assistant for Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics. He was the head coach of Oklahoma Storm and later worked as a scout for the New York Knicks before returning to the Lakers.
He has also written several books, including his autobiography ‘Giant Steps’, and has constantly written and discussed issues of race and religion for national television and global magazines.
He featured in the UCLA Alumni commercial ‘My Big UCLA Moment’ in 2007. He also appeared in several movies, including ‘Fletch’, ‘Troop Beverly Hills’, ‘Airplane!’, and various TV series, such as ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, ‘Martin’, ‘Scrubs’, ‘21 Jump Street’, etc.
He performed a tribute to Muhammad Ali alongside Change the Rapper in 2016. In the same year, he co-authored a comic ‘Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook’.
In 2017, just before leaving office President Barack Obama appointed Abdul-Jabbar (along with Carli Llyod and Gabrielle Douglas) to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
Awards & Achievements
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Pat Riley, Isiah Thomas, and Julius Erving have cited him to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
Continue Reading Below
ESPN has voted him the greatest center of all time, the greatest player in college basketball history, and the second-best player in NBA history (only next to Michael Jordan).
In 2011, he was presented the Double Helix Medal for his part in increasing awareness for cancer research. He also received an honorary degree from New York Institute of Technology.
He was selected to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012.
President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Personal Life & Legacy
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was married to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, born Janice Brown, and they have three children: Habiba, Sultana, and Kareem Jr.
They divorced in 1978. He has another son, Adam, with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Pistono.
He converted to Islam when he was 24 and changed his name from Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. His current name means ‘a noble and powerful servant of Allah’ in Arabic.
He was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in 2008. He took to Twitter in 2011 to announce that his leukemia had gone. In the meanwhile, he became a spokesperson for Novartis, the company that produced his cancer medication.
Trivia
He has appeared in the film ‘Game of Death’ along with Bruce Lee in 1978. He has also trained with Bruce Lee.
He has recorded his book on the Harlem Renaissance titled ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ as an audiobook along with other actors and artists.
His favorite books include ‘Between the World and Me’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates, ‘But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz’ by Geoff Dyer and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock stories.
He is an avid coin collector and was appointed to the Citizens Coin Advisory Council, which decides the coins that are minted in the US.
/>
How To Cite
Article Title
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/kareem-abdul-jabbar-8214.php
People Also Viewed
His first book - a collection of poems released at the age of 19. This was in 1938. Before the start of the Great Patriotic young poet will have time to release a second book, graduate from the Faculty of Language and Literature of the Bashkir State Pedagogical Institute, and the first days of the war and until its victorious conclusion will be at the front. He fought as chief of staff of the artillery division, was hard wounded, after being cured he returned to the active army, but already newspaper correspondent.
Mustai Karim. His fellow writers, people of different nationalities, highly appreciated in it not only the outstanding poetic gift, the rare talent of a playwright, but also wonderful spiritual qualities, the magic of his charm as a person, cherished friendship with him.
It is known what close ties connected Mustai Karim with Rasul Gamzatov, Chingiz Aitmatov, Leningrad poet Mikhail Dudin, with the Uzbek poetess Zulfiya, who called him her brother. Mustafa Safic in one of his interview emphasized that the friendship of poets from time immemorial has been the highest phenomenon in the communication of people and nations. Developing this theme he said that he was associated with many writers of the country not only human friendship and creativity, but fate. And remembered the story publication of his first book in Russian. How many people took part in its publication! Mikhail Dudin... He met him at 1947 at the first All-Union Conference of Young Writers in Moscow. Mustai Karim was then very ill. Dudin knew about it. He immediately began to translate his poems into Russian. Then he confesses to the author of these verses: "I tried to make you see my first book in Russian, I then feared for your life." The manuscript of this book fell into the hands of Konstantin Simonov, and he recommended her to publications of the publishing house "Young Guard".
"In the spring of 1949 I left the hospital, my book "Flowers on stone" - from the press, - says Mustai Karim further. earlier, on one of the fine days, Rasul climbed into my room through the window Gamzatov. They didn’t let him in the door, it was a quiet hour. But he couldn't wait because he really wanted to let me know that my book was out."
More than 100 collections of Mustai Karim were published during his lifetime poetry, prose and journalism, a dozen dramatic works included in the golden fund of the multinational Russian literature.
His poem "Europe-Asia", which gave its name famous poetic cycle (it also included the most famous poem "I am a Russian"), published more than half a century ago, he starts with questions:
Who to Europe and Asia
Land area
Divided?
"White Europe,
Asia yellow" - decided?
"Fat Europe,
Asia thin" - decided?
And then the poet, with his characteristic ultimate involvement in
what he writes about, resolutely declares:
My chest passes through me:
Indeed, on its steep path
Ural lies,
My land.
Let them tear apart
The heart...
It doesn't matter -
And separated by a line,
It is one,
It is one.
No, it was not in vain that one of the wise noticed that a real poet is a man without skin, and any grain of sand can kill him. What if the world crack, then this crack will pass through the heart of the poet. After all, he perceives the world and time, himself in this world and time much sharper us ordinary people. Here is Pushkin whom Mustai Karim idolized. With all his passions, hobbies and seething African temperament, with all the reckless love for life, he constantly I thought about the inevitable day when I would have to part with her, and I tried to predict the timing of the arrival of this day. The poet wrote about it poignant lines. And Mustafa Safich often sounds this subject:
You tell me to take care of myself
For our life. You are always in anxiety,
But all my life, like a horse, not feeling my legs,
I rode at the races along the steppe road.
And death will come - I will not blame death.
I am not the first, and I have nowhere to go.
Then I would fall like a horse
At competitions, from a broken heart...
It is impossible to read his lines without spiritual excitement:
Long life and short old age...
I thought that would be enough.
...I don't know how much is left -
Longer than necessary, I don't need it.
Measure is important. And the excess is meaningless,
If you pour wine over the edge:
It will go into the earth, the desired drink,
It will go into the earth, it will disappear anyway ...
Life over the edge ... No, live to the moment
I I don’t want to, and I stand on this,
To shy away from my own shadow,
To stumble over my own shadow ...
Mustai Karim has a poem "Vek", written by him in the year fallen on the country of black changes, the creators of which - self-proclaimed, immoral and irresponsible "democrats" - called their actions liberal reforms designed to make the people happy.
And the poet saw this time like this, when:
... The sun is marking time,
And the Earth spins idle.
There is no century, year, day... Together with unbelief
Timelessness is at the helm today:
Unbelief, brazenly sticking out his elbows,
The holy gates famously smear with tar...
We are mired in blackness... And hardly
They will be able to whitewash us in the future.
Oh, if only the heirs did not become
Blame our sins on us - the former ones ...
It seems that in response to these bitter verses, we can reassure their author by telling him, if he hears us, that we, his contemporaries, sensitively listened to each of his excited and wise word, it helps us in life to withstand difficulties and vicissitudes of fate, that his lines will reach incorruptible works and to many generations of descendants, who certainly figure out who is who in the history of the country and in its literature, and who He did good and bad for his people.
Today we celebrate the 89th birthday of the great poet. A the day before, good news came: a competition was held in Ufa for design of the Mystai Karim Museum, which will built in his native village of Klyashevo, Chishminsky district. His the winner was the team of authors of the workshop CJSC "Tvorcheskaya architectural firm "Archproekt" headed by its head, honored RB architect Dmitry Winkelman. We were informed about this Raushania Baiguzina, who, for many years, headed the department of culture administration of the Chishminsky district, organized meetings Mustafa Safich with fellow countrymen, held reader conferences according to his works, anniversary events. And after leaving two years back to retirement, Raushania Khanifovna devoted all her time collecting materials about his great countryman - for the future museum. Much has already been done in this direction. Allotted 15-hectare a plot of land on the outskirts of the village for a future building. By the way, it was to this place that Mustai Karim himself pointed out to her in his last arrival in his native village, having started a confidential conversation with her that, if it comes to perpetuating his memory, to creating some memorial, he would like this structure to be here.
On the pictures: Mustai Karim and poet Mikhail Dudin. 1969; With Ukrainian writer Mykola Nagnibeda Mustafa Safich has something discuss; during a break in the meeting of the Union of Writers of the Republic. Author: Alexander Zinoviev
Pavel Alekseevich Vshivkov , born on January 27, 1954, a native of the village of Verkhniy Kozmyash. He was born in the family of rural workers Alexei Andreevich and Lidia Ivanovna Vshivkov. Early joined the hard peasant labor. His father Alexei Andreevich worked as a mechanic on a collective farm and part-time head of a voluntary fire brigade, and often took his son with him. Even then, in childhood, he realized the importance of his father's work. After graduating from the Ryabkov school, he came to work at a local state farm. At 19In 72 he was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet army, served in the border troops. Military training helped in acquiring a new profession. After the army, Pavel Alekseevich went to work as a military instructor at the Ryabkov school, where, as a young specialist, he contributed to this matter.
His pupils have repeatedly won prizes in regional competitions. In 1976, Pavel Alekseevich was transferred to work in Chernushka as chairman of the Chernushinsky District Sports Committee. During this period of time, Pavel Alekseevich got married, then two sons were born in the family, who later also followed in the footsteps of their father.
In 1980, Vshivkov headed a team of professional firefighters. Nikolai Semenovich Troshkov became his mentor in this matter. The PPO detachment at that time consisted of 14 fire departments with a total number of 340 people. Protected area - Chernushinsky, Bardymsky, Kuedinsky, Oktyabrsky and Osinsky districts. The first deputy head of the detachment at that time was a former front-line officer Karim Garifyanovich Garifyanov. Fire stations were being built in Barda, Oktyabrsky, Kueda. Old fire equipment was replaced with modern special purpose vehicles, fire equipment was being improved.
In 1993, Pavel Alekseevich moved to serve as deputy head of the 22nd paramilitary fire brigade.
The process of reforming the fire department took several years, and Pavel Alekseevich, being the deputy head of personnel, invested a lot of effort. On December 31, 2007, Lieutenant Colonel of the Internal Service Pavel Vshivkov, having served in the state fire service for 16 years, retired, but continued to work in the fire department.
On July 14, 2008, he was appointed to the post of head of the newly created 22nd Fire Service Detachment of the Perm Territory. The detachment had three fire stations, which are located in the Uinsky district, in the village. Bolshaya Usa of the Kuedinsky district and in the village of Shchuchye-Ozero in the Oktyabrsky district. Ostanina A.A. was appointed the chief specialist of the detachment, Polin V.L. was appointed deputy head of the detachment. These employees also served for many years in the fire department. Ostanina A.A. currently he is the chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Chernushinsky garrison. In the course of the reform, from 01.
01.2011, the detachment increased, 11 fire stations became subordinate, located in seven municipal districts: Berezovsky, Kungursky, Kishertsky, Kuedinsky, Oktyabrsky, Uinsky, Tchaikovsky. Currently, the regular strength of the detachment is 287 units. Pavel Alekseevich successfully manages a large team, under his leadership the detachment, over the past few years, has taken first place in the results of operational and service activities.
The sons of Pavel Alekseevich also decided to continue the activities of their father.
The eldest son - Andrey Pavlovich Vshivkov was born in Chernushka on 08/12/1977, after graduating from school he decided to follow his father's example and in 1994 entered the Yekaterinburg fire-technical school of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, which he graduated with honors in 1997. After graduating from college, he was appointed to the post of head of the guard of the 52nd fire department of the 22nd detachment of the State Fire Service of the State Fire Service of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Perm Region.
After serving a year in office, he entered the Academy of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, which he also graduated with honors in 2001.
After graduating from a higher educational institution, he was appointed to the position of deputy head of the 86th fire department of the 22nd detachment of the State Fire Service of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Perm Region.
Since March 2002, he was transferred to the city of Osa to the post of head of the state institution "17 Detachment of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia of the Perm Territory."
In 2008, he was appointed in Perm to the position of the head of the state institution “10 Detachment of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia of the Perm Territory”. Since 2009up to the present time, he is the head of the federal state state institution “10 Detachment of the Federal Fire Service in the Perm Territory”, at the same time he is the head of the Perm fire garrison.
