nnnnnnnnnKareem Abdul- Jabbar is an American professional basketball player who retired after playing 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Known for his trademark goggles, Abdul-Jabbar was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player award six times during his career. He is also a Basketball Hall of Famer as a player.
Abdul-Jabbar was born Fredrick Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, on April 16, 1947 before he changed his name and embraced Islam as his religion. Abdul- Jabbar went to the St. Jude School in Inwood where he played for the Power Memorial Academy. He won the New York City Catholic Championships for the Power Memorial Academy three times in a row.
Abdul- Jabbar played for the UCLA Bruins when he attended the University of California, Los Angeles and won several accolades including the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1967 and 1968 and the Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969. He also held several records at the college level including the Highest Career Scoring Average of 26.4 points per game and Highest Season Scoring Average of 29.0 in 1967.
| Position | Center |
| Born | 16 Apr 1947 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Nickname | Cap, Lew, The Big Fella |
| Team History | |
Los Angeles
|
1969 - 1989 |
In 1969, Abdul- Jabbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks after he declined a $1 million offer from the Harlem Globetrotters. The New York Nets, who were then with the American Basketball Association, also expressed their interest in Abdul- Jabbar. However, he chose to play with the Bucks in the NBA. The same year he was titled the NBA Rookie of the Year.
In 1970, Abdul- Jabbar obtained his first scoring title with a score of 31.7 points per game and was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player for the first time. In 1971 the Bucks won the NBA Championship and Abdul- Jabbar won the Finals MVP. 1975, Abdul- Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he played as a center. It was with the Lakers that Abdul- Jabbar started wearing his well known goggles as he had developed corneal erosion syndrome over the years. The Lakers went on to be the most dominating teams of the 1980s.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 with career statistics of 38,387points, 17,440 rebounds, and 3,189 blocks.
Career Accomplishments:• 6-time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)• 2-time NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985)• 6-time NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)• 19-time NBA All-Star (1970–1977, 1979–1989)• 10-time All-NBA First Team (1971–1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)• 5-time All-NBA Second Team (1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985)• 5-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1975, 1979–1981)• 6-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970, 1971, 1976–1978, 1984)• NBA Rookie of the Year (1970)• 2-time NBA scoring champion (1971, 1972)• NBA rebounding champion (1976)• 4-time NBA blocks leader (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980)• NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team• 3-time NCAA champion (1967–1969)• 3-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player(1967–1969)• 3-time National college player of the year (1967–1969)• 3-time Consensus first-team All-American (1967–1969)• Number 33 retired by UCLA• Number 33 retired by Milwaukee Bucks• Number 33 retired by Los Angeles Lakers• 2-time Mr. Basketball USA (1964, 1965)• 2-time NBA champion, as assistant coach: (2009, 2010)
