Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a well known basket ball player. Native to United States, he converted from Catholicism to Islam and took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means "noble, powerful servant.". Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He is also a best selling author. He wrote many books including his autobiography Giant Steps, 'On the Shoulders of Giants etc.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar started playing basket ball at a very early age. He guided his team to an astonishing 71 wins consecutively and three straight city titles also. His team was ranked at first spot by the National Sports Writers in 2001 and stated that Abdul Jabbar's team is number 1 High School Team of the Century. In 1974. He suffered a scratch on the cornea of his eye during a mid-game collision. Later he wore protective glasses during games to prevent further damage to his eye. He could be recognized easily in the court because of his protective goggles.


Jabbar was very popular as a college sports star, He was also an independent thinker, threading his way through the complex political and moral issues of the 1960s. Getting inspirations from the Autobiography of Malcolm X, he started studying Islam and later he eventually embraced it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's retirement marked the end of an era for the NBA. Kareem left the game as the game's all-time high scorer, which no one ever be able to surpass, with 17,440 rebounds (11.2 rpg), .559 field-goal percentage, 3,189 blocks, and 38,387 points (24.6 ppg) from a career that lasted 20 years and 1,560 games. He scored in double figures in 787 straight games.