His dominance in college basketball was just as towering, as the New York born Lewis Alcindor Jr.
When Los Angeles Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played his last regular season NBA game on April 33, 1989, the 7-foot-2-inch center had amassed a resume that seemed the stuff of tall tales.
At 42, Abdul-Jabbar’s list of accomplishments included a 1970 Rookie of the Year award, six NBA championships, six NBA MVP selections, two Finals MVP, 19 All-Star appearances, and two scoring titles.
His dominance in college basketball was just as towering, as the New York born Lewis Alcindor Jr. (who changed his name when he converted to Islam during the NBA 71-72 season) led the UCLA Bruins to three national championships from ’67 to ’69 while winning two Player of the Year honors. By the time he brought his nearly unstoppable skyhook to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, he was already the game’s most dominating force, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds. A trade to the Lakers in 1975 elevated Abdul-Jabbar to Hollywood celebrity status.
He even appeared in Bruce Lee’s posthumous 1979 film Game of Death (Concord Productions) and in the 1980 comedy Airplane! (Paramount). As the captain of the Lakers, he teamed up with young, charismatic point guard Earvin Magic Johnson the same year, kicking off the Showtime dynasty that would dominate the NBA for much of the ‘80s.
Today, many of Abdul-Jabbar’s records remain unbroken.
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