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NBA legend and all-time leading scorer
He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 career points and won six NBA championships using his unstoppable skyhook shot.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947, in New York City. Standing 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 meters) tall, he played 20 NBA seasons (1969-1989) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers as a dominant center. He won six NBA championships, six MVP awards, and scored 38,387 career points with his signature skyhook shot, holding the all-time scoring record until LeBron James surpassed him in 2023.
Born to Cora Lillian and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. in Harlem, he grew up in the Inwood projects and reached 6 feet 8 inches by eighth grade. At Power Memorial Academy, a Catholic high school in New York City, he led his team to 71 consecutive victories and three city championships, scoring a record 2,067 points. He chose UCLA over hundreds of recruiting schools, where he won three consecutive NCAA championships (1967, 1968, 1969) under coach John Wooden and was named tournament Most Outstanding Player three times.
He converted to Sunni Islam during his time at UCLA in 1968 and officially changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971, the day after winning his first NBA championship. He married Habiba Abdul-Jabbar in 1971 and divorced in 1978; the couple had three children together, and he has five children total. Beyond basketball, he became a best-selling author writing historical fiction and cultural criticism, trained in Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee, appeared in films including Game of Death and Airplane!, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016.
He stands exactly 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 meters) tall, making him one of the tallest players in NBA history.
He scored 38,387 career points in the NBA regular season, a record that stood for nearly 40 years until 2023.
He won six NBA championship rings: one with Milwaukee Bucks (1971) and five with Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
His signature skyhook shot was virtually unblockable and became the most effective weapon in basketball history.
He wore jersey number 33 throughout his career in tribute to New York Giants fullback Mel Triplett, and both the Lakers and Bucks retired the number.
Right then and there, I knew who I was, who I had to be. I was going to be black rage personified, Black Power in the flesh.
I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.
The 3-point line has changed the game, but I think the game is better because of it.
Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16 in New York City
Won first NCAA championship with UCLA Bruins at age 20
Won second consecutive NCAA championship and converted to Islam
Won third straight NCAA championship and was drafted first overall by Milwaukee Bucks at age 22
Won NBA Rookie of the Year Award
Won first NBA championship with Milwaukee Bucks at age 24 and officially changed name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Won first NBA MVP Award and Finals MVP
Won second consecutive NBA MVP Award
Won third NBA MVP Award
Traded to Los Angeles Lakers at age 28
Won fourth NBA MVP Award
Won fifth NBA MVP Award
Won sixth NBA MVP Award and second championship with Lakers at age 33
Won third NBA championship with Lakers
Broke NBA all-time scoring record at age 37
Won fourth championship with Lakers and second Finals MVP Award at age 38
Won fifth championship with Lakers at age 40
Won sixth and final NBA championship with Lakers at age 41
Retired from NBA at age 42 after 20 seasons
Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted into California Hall of Fame
Received Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at age 69