Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbaris an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Associationfor the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth16 April 1947
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I've never been a person to share my private life, but I can help save lives.
I've always tried to stay out of the fray and not be an object of controversy.
I'm the baddest among the bad guys.
The game has basically not changed since I ended my career.
You can't win if you don't play as a unit.
You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much.
I've had enough success for two lifetimes, My success is talent put together with hard work and luck.
We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today's basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.
He doesn't necessarily have to learn the sky hook. He just has to learn how to be an effective post player. I think I can help him do that.
But people don't know if I can teach the game. I know I can. My experience in Oklahoma was positive. It opened my eyes to how the game is played - the interaction among players, fans and media, how all that works. You have to know about the business of the game and how the actions of players and coaches affect the business. I think I have it down now.
Either because I was an athlete or because I was black - probably both - there seemed to be a clear assumption that I wouldn't be up to the work.
Even when there are adverse circumstances, I try to do my job. And I usually do.
Basketball is an endurance sport, and you have to learn to control your breath; that's the essence of yoga, too. So, I consciously began using yoga techniques in my practice and playing. I think yoga helped reduce the number and severity of injuries I suffered. As preventative medicine, it's unequaled.
Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they are executed.