Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Overview

Born
April 16, 1947 · New York City, New York, USA
Birth name
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor
Nicknames
- Lew
- Known as "The Big 'A'" before his name change.
Height
7′ 2″ (2.18 m)

Biography

Family

Spouse
Children
Parents

Trademark

Wears a #33 on his basketball jersey
Shooting the "sky-hook" and wearing goggles when he played
Towering height
Deep voice

Trivia

Studied the martial art of Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee, with whom KAJ co-starred in "Game of Death".
The NCAA outlawed the dunk shot because of his dominance at center for UCLA.
Grandparents are originally from Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.
When he appeared on "Celebrity Jeopardy!", the camera had to be moved back 5 feet from its usual position, in order to keep all three contestants in frame; this was due to KAJ's height.
NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points.

Quotes

I saw Islam as the correct way to live, and I chose to try to live that way.
On meeting Coach John Wooden: Coach Wooden's office was about the size of a walk-in closet. I was brought in, and there was this very quaint-looking Midwesterner. I'd heard a lot about this man and his basketball wisdom, but he surely look like he belonged in a one-room schoolhouse. I found myself liking Mr. Wooden right away. He was calm, in no hurry to impress me with his knowledge or his power. He called me Lewis, and that decision endeared him to me even more. It was at once formal, my full name. II was no baby Lewie. Lewis. I liked that.
On Coach John Wooden: He broke basketball down to it's basic elements. He always told us basketball was a simple game, but his ability to make the game simple was part of his genius. There was no ranting and raving, no histrionics or theatrics. To lead the way Coach Wooden led takes a tremendous amount of faith. He was almost mystical in his approach, yet that approach only strengthened our confidence. Coach Wooden enjoyed winning, but he did not put winning above everything. He was more concerned that we became successful as human beings, that we earned our degrees, that we learned to make the right choices as adults and as parents. In essence, he was preparing us for life.
After 9/11, all of a sudden you have this suspicious spotlight on you just because you're Muslim. It was a radical change and it really bothered me. People understand that, even though they take a Christian identity, are not practicing what Jesus was all about. It's the same thing with the radical Islamic people. They're about hatred and trying to impose their will on people.
Players today are tremendously gifted, but they don't understand the game as well as players from my generation who got to play in college and learn the nuances, when situations arise that lead to victory or defeat. They think it's all about being on Play of the Day.