Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Academy of Achievement

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The greatest all-around player in the history of professional basketball, he ruled the sport through speed, agility and a devastating ambidextrous "sky hook" shot that sportswriters dubbed "the ultimate weapon." In the three seasons he played for the UCLA Bruins, he led the team to three NCAA championships and was named Most Outstanding Player in all three years, the only player in the history of the college game to hold this distinction. As a professional, his career was even more remarkable. In his 20 seasons in the NBA, he played in 19 All-Star Games, won six championship titles and six Most Valuable Player awards. Over the course of his career, he blocked more than 3,100 shots, made 17,400 rebounds and scored 38,837 points, making him the highest-scoring player in NBA history, a record that may never be broken. Adored by his fans and revered by his teammates, he retired to the most heartfelt tributes in sports history. Since retirement, he has chosen to pursue a second career as an author, enjoying success with books on African American history, World War II, the Harlem Renaissance and his own experiences coaching basketball on an Apache Indian reservation. One of the most durable athletes in the history of any sport, he has gone on to earn the world's enduring respect for his accomplishments as a human being."/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:description" content="<p class="inputTextFirst">It would be difficult to name another athlete who dominated his sport as long or as completely as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The greatest all-around player in the history of professional basketball, he ruled the sport through speed, agility and a devastating ambidextrous "sky hook" shot that sportswriters dubbed "the ultimate weapon."</p> <p class="inputText">In the three seasons he played for the UCLA Bruins, he led the team to three NCAA championships and was named Most Outstanding Player in all three years, the only player in the history of the college game to hold this distinction. As a professional, his career was even more remarkable. In his 20 seasons in the NBA, he played in 19 All-Star Games, won six championship titles and six Most Valuable Player awards. Over the course of his career, he blocked more than 3,100 shots, made 17,400 rebounds and scored 38,837 points, making him the highest-scoring player in NBA history, a record that may never be broken.</p> <p class="inputText">Adored by his fans and revered by his teammates, he retired to the most heartfelt tributes in sports history. Since retirement, he has chosen to pursue a second career as an author, enjoying success with books on African American history, World War II, the Harlem Renaissance and his own experiences coaching basketball on an Apache Indian reservation. One of the most durable athletes in the history of any sport, he has gone on to earn the world's enduring respect for his accomplishments as a human being.</p>"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2021-06-21T12:57:51+00:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image.jpg"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="2800"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1120"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@achievers1961"/> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#organization","name":"Academy of Achievement","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/","sameAs":["https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-academy-of-achievement","https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChe_87uh1H-NIMf3ndTjPFw","https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Achievement","https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://twitter.com/achievers1961"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/12.png","contentUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/12.png","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Academy of Achievement"},"image":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#website","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/","name":"Academy of Achievement","description":"A museum of living history","publisher":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/search/{search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image.jpg","contentUrl":"/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image.jpg","width":2800,"height":1120,"caption":"College Basketball: NCAA Final Four: Closeup of UCLA Lew Alcindor (33) victorious with net after winning National Championship vs Dayton at Freedom Hall. Louisville, KY 3/25/1967"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/#webpage","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/","name":"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Academy of Achievement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2016-01-27T18:09:46+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-21T12:57:51+00:00","description":"It would be difficult to name another athlete who dominated his sport as long or as completely as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 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data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image.jpg [(max-width:544px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image-1400x560.jpg [(max-width:992px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-2-Feature-Image.jpg"></div> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <figcaption class="feature-area__text ratio-container__text container"> <div class="feature-area__text-inner text-white"> <h2 class="serif-8 feature-area__text-subhead back"><a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever">All achievers</a></h2> <h1 class="serif-1 entry-title feature-area__text-headline">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h1> <h5 class="sans-6 feature-area__blurb">Basketball Scoring Champion</h5> </div> </figcaption> </div> </div> </figure> </header> </div>  <nav class="in-page-nav row fixedsticky"> <ul class="nav text-xs-center clearfix" role="tablist"> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link active" data-toggle="tab" href="#biography" 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class="achiever--biography"> <div class="row"> <header class="editorial-article__header col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-xs-center"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> <h3 class="serif-3 quote-marks">Islam has given me a moral foundation, a way of trying to balance your own personal ambitions, what you want and need in the world, with some type of morality... There are so many problems in the Islamic world. I think those have to do with politics and the Islamic world's reaction to colonialism.</h3> </header> </div> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar clearfix"> <h2 class="serif-3 p-b-1">NBA All-Time Scoring Champion</h2> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> April 16, 1947 </dd> </div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><p>The legendary athlete known today as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. in New York City, the only child of Cora and Ferdinand Alcindor. The young Lew Alcindor, as he was called, was an enthusiastic athlete. He grew quickly, and throughout his school years was the tallest child in the school system.</p> <figure id="attachment_607" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-607" style="width: 396px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><noscript><img class="wp-image-607 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-607 size-full lazyload" alt="A teenage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, proudly displays his " width="396" height="396" data-sizes="(max-width: 396px) 100vw, 396px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158.jpg 396w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158-190x190.jpg 190w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158-380x380.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158-150x150.jpg 150w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-607" class="wp-caption-text">A teenage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, proudly displays his “Most Valuable Player” trophy after leading his team to victory in the Catholic High School AA championships in New York City, 1965.</figcaption></figure> <p>It was natural that his teachers and coaches would steer him towards basketball. He did not take to the game immediately, but with patient application he mastered the essentials, and as early as fifth grade was developing the soaring “sky hook” that would become his signature shot on the basketball court. His parents were adamant that he pay attention to his studies as well. He was their only child, and they were determined that he prepare himself for college. His prowess on the basketball court won him a scholarship to Power Memorial, a private Catholic high school.</p> <p>The national sports press first took note of Lew Alcindor when he was only 15, playing for Power Memorial. He led his school team to 95 victories in 101 games and three consecutive championships in New York City’s Catholic school league. In all three years, he was named a High School All-American. The top college basketball teams were all eager to recruit the young phenomenon, but he soon chose the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could work with fabled coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden had led his team to two previous championships, but with the young Lew Alcindor as center, the UCLA Bruins were about to embark on an unprecedented winning streak.</p> <figure id="attachment_14986" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14986" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14986 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14986 size-full lazyload" alt="A young Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, blocks a shot during a high school basketball game in 1964. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)" width="2280" height="1833" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003-380x306.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003-760x611.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14986" class="wp-caption-text">1964: 17-year-old Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, blocks a shot during a high school game.</figcaption></figure> <p>At the time, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules prohibited freshmen from participating in varsity collegiate play, but when Alcindor became eligible in his sophomore year, he immediately dominated the college game. The Bruins were national champions all three years (1967-69), losing only two games out of 90. To date, he is the only athlete to be named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player three times. The sports press and wire services acclaimed him as College Player of the Year in both 1967 and 1969.</p> <figure id="attachment_14994" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14994" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14994 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14994 size-full lazyload" alt="The December 5, 1966 issue of Sports Illustrated celebrated Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and his first season at UCLA. (Credit: Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated)" width="2280" height="1613" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012-380x269.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012-760x538.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14994" class="wp-caption-text">The December 5, 1966 issue of <em>Sports Illustrated</em> celebrated Lew Alcindor and his first season at UCLA. (Neil Leifer)</figcaption></figure> <p>Although he enjoyed enormous popularity as a college sports star, Alcindor was also an independent thinker, threading his way through the complex moral and political issues of the 1960s. A reading of <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em> led him to the study of Islam, a faith he eventually embraced, converting from the Catholicism of his family. Alcindor was urged to play on the United States Olympic team in 1968, but he declined, in part due to his distaste for the leadership of the International Olympic Committee, whose President, Avery Brundage, had expressed admiration for the government of Nazi Germany before the Second World War.</p> <p>Alcindor graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in history in 1969. The last-place Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association won a coin toss with the Phoenix Suns and drafted the college star. In his first season in the pros, Alcindor’s impact was immediate. He led his team to second place in the Eastern Division, and personally finished second in the league for scoring. He was named Rookie of the Year. The Bucks improved their line-up by shrewd trading during the off-season, and in the 1970-71 season the team had 68 wins, including a record-setting 20 in a row. Alcindor was accumulating the first of the many records he was to accumulate in his long career. At the end of the regular season, he was named Most Valuable Player. The Bucks swept the finals that year, and Alcindor was named Most Valuable Player in the finals as well. He was also the league’s top scorer for the first — but not the last — time.</p> <figure id="attachment_14987" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14987" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14987 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14987 size-full lazyload" alt="April 1, 1968 issue of Sports Illustrated shows Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) playing for UCLA against Houston. (Rich Clarkson/Sports Illustrated)" width="2280" height="3056" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005-284x380.jpg 284w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005-567x760.jpg 567w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14987" class="wp-caption-text">April 1, 1968 issue of <em>Sports Illustrated</em> shows Lew Alcindor playing for UCLA against Houston. (Rich Clarkson)</figcaption></figure> <p>Immediately following this first championship season, Lew Alcindor adopted the Arabic name, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, meaning “noble servant of the powerful One.” In the 1971-72 season, Abdul-Jabbar was again the NBA’s scoring champion. He was voted the Most Valuable Player in that season and again the following year. In his first seasons as a pro, he had established himself as a dominant figure in professional basketball, but he was notably unlike the star centers who had previously ruled the sport. At 7 feet, 2 inches tall, he cast a long shadow, but he weighed a lean 225 pounds, far less than other players his height. The position of center had traditionally been occupied by large players, who could dominate by sheer strength, but Abdul-Jabbar brought an unprecedented agility to the position. His nimble performance on the court was the product of an intensely disciplined training regimen, far beyond what other basketball players at the time were willing to submit themselves to. He combined his speed and grace on the court with the devastating sky-hook, a shot he could perform with either hand, from the top of his impressive jump. The shot was almost impossible to block, and sportswriters dubbed it “the ultimate weapon.”</p> <figure id="attachment_14990" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14990" style="width: 1681px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14990 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14990 size-full lazyload" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots over the head of the Philadelphia 76ers' Caldwell Jones in the 1980 NBA finals. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated)" width="1681" height="2540" data-sizes="(max-width: 1681px) 100vw, 1681px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008.jpg 1681w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008-251x380.jpg 251w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008-503x760.jpg 503w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14990" class="wp-caption-text">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots over the head of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Caldwell Jones in the 1980 NBA finals. (SI)</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1974, Abdul-Jabbar suffered a scratch on the cornea of his eye during a mid-game collision. A broken hand suffered in the same incident kept him off the court for 16 games. After that, he wore protective goggles on the court, to prevent further damage to his eye. The goggles became a trademark, and made him the most easily recognized player in the game. The aging of some of Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee teammates led to a decline in the Bucks’ fortunes in the mid-’70s. After making it to the finals in 1974, the Bucks dropped to last place the following year.</p> <figure id="attachment_14989" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14989" style="width: 2091px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14989 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14989 size-full lazyload" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in action against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1982 finals. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated)" width="2091" height="2096" data-sizes="(max-width: 2091px) 100vw, 2091px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007.jpg 2091w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007-190x190.jpg 190w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007-380x380.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007-758x760.jpg 758w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14989" class="wp-caption-text">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in action against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1982 finals. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated)</figcaption></figure> <p>Despite Abdul-Jabbar’s stellar performance in Milwaukee, he felt out of place in a northern Midwestern city with no substantial Muslim community. He requested to be transferred, either to New York, where he grew up, or to Los Angeles, where he had enjoyed such acclaim as a college athlete. In 1975, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where his arrival revitalized a faltering team. Abdul-Jabbar was voted Most Valuable Player in his first year with the Lakers. In his second season, the team finished in first place and Abdul-Jabbar was named Most Valuable Player for the fifth time in eight seasons, tying the existing record for MVP honors.</p> <figure id="attachment_14988" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14988" style="width: 1610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14988 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14988 size-full lazyload" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes a hook shot for the L.A. Lakers in this 1988 game, while Bill Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons tries to block. (Richard Mackson/Sports Illustrated) " width="1610" height="2540" data-sizes="(max-width: 1610px) 100vw, 1610px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006.jpg 1610w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006-241x380.jpg 241w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006-482x760.jpg 482w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14988" class="wp-caption-text">Kareem makes a hook shot for the L.A. Lakers in this 1988 game, while Bill Laimbeer of Detroit tries to block.</figcaption></figure> <p>Despite his fame, Abdul-Jabbar remained a deeply private person, and was visibly uncomfortable with the attention of the sports press. The next two seasons were unhappy ones for the Lakers, and Abdul-Jabbar missed 20 games in the 1977-78 season after breaking his hand in a scuffle with a player from his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks. The resultant bad publicity, compounded by his natural reticence, made this period a low point in Abdul-Jabbar’s career, but better times were just around the corner.</p> <p>In 1976, Alcindor took up the practice of yoga to improve his flexibility. He also studied with martial arts master Bruce Lee and made his motion picture debut alongside Lee in the 1978 film <em>Game of Death</em>. He would also make a memorable appearance in the classic film comedy <em>Airplane</em> (1980).</p> <figure id="attachment_70540" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70540" style="width: 1679px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-70540 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-scaled.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70540 lazyload" alt="" width="1679" height="2560" data-sizes="(max-width: 1679px) 100vw, 1679px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-scaled.jpg 1679w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-249x380.jpg 249w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-498x760.jpg 498w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-1007x1536.jpg 1007w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-1343x2048.jpg 1343w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-760x1159.jpg 760w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-1520x2318.jpg 1520w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-scaled.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70540" class="wp-caption-text">Awards Council member and Academy 1991 Host Henry R. Kravis presenting the Golden Plate Award to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the introductory dinner and symposium during the 1989 Achievement Summit in San Francisco.</figcaption></figure> <p>The Lakers’ acquisition of the rookie Earvin “Magic” Johnson gave Abdul-Jabbar the support he needed to win five more championships for the team. In 1980 the Lakers won the NBA championship, and Abdul-Jabbar won his sixth Most Valuable Player award, setting a record that is likely to stand for many years to come. By their mid-30s, most basketball players have retired, but Abdul-Jabbar kept playing, staying in faultless condition through an ever more demanding fitness program. He augmented his practice of yoga and martial arts with meditation to relieve pre-game stress. On April 5, 1984, he scored his 31,420th point, to become the NBA’s all-time scoring champion, a record he still holds as of this writing and for the foreseeable future.</p> <figure id="attachment_33217" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33217" style="width: 1859px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-33217 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-33217 size-full lazyload" alt="2007: On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Rennaissance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar invites the reader on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace, through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life." width="1859" height="2832" data-sizes="(max-width: 1859px) 100vw, 1859px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS.jpg 1859w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS-249x380.jpg 249w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS-499x760.jpg 499w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-33217" class="wp-caption-text">2007: <em>On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Rennaissance</em> by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar invites the reader on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace, through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s had on both American culture and his own life. From 1920 to 1940, the Harlem Renaissance produced a bright beacon of light that paved the way for African-Americans all over the country.</figcaption></figure> <p>In the middle of the 1980s, some fans and writers began to wonder if Abdul-Jabbar was finally running out of steam. The Lakers lost the 1984 finals to the Boston Celtics, their principal rival throughout the decade. In the 1985 finals, the Lakers faced the Celtics again. In the first game of the series, Abdul-Jabbar performed below expectations and the Lakers lost the game. His comeback in the second game was a sensation; he scored 30 points and led the team to victory in the game and in the series. Abdul-Jabbar was once again named Most Valuable Player in the final series. Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers beat the Celtics in the 1987 finals as well. Now 40, he signed a new two-year contract with the Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers to one more championship in the 1987-88 season. Over the course of the decade, Abdul-Jabbar and his teammates had made it to the finals eight times, winning five championship titles.</p> <p>The 1988-89 season was Abdul-Jabbar’s last playing in the NBA. His final game was the occasion of a massive outpouring of sentiment from his teammates, fans and the general public. The onetime maverick of the league had become the beloved elder statesman. After 20 seasons, he retired with nine NBA records, many of which still hold. His scoring record of 38,387 career points (24.6 per game) will probably never be equaled. In 1995, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.</p> <figure id="attachment_70172" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70172" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-70172 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70172 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-760x507.jpg 760w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-1520x1013.jpg 1520w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70172" class="wp-caption-text">Academy member Toni Morrison, a Nobel laureate in Literature, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, reading his book, <em>On the Shoulders of Giants,</em> prior to speaking at the concluding symposium of the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure> <p>Since retiring from active play, much of his time has been devoted to writing. His first book, an autobiography published in 1987, was titled <em>Giant Steps</em>, after a tune by one of Abdul-Jabbar’s heroes, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. A second memoir, <em>Kareem</em> (1980), is a diaristic account of his last season, interspersed with memories of childhood and reflections on his life in basketball.</p> <p>Although he has worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle Supersonics, and as Head Coach for the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League, his most interesting coaching experience was as a volunteer at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona, an experience he recounts in <em>A Season on the Reservation</em>. Subsequent books include <em>Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African American Achievement</em>, and <em>Brothers in Arms</em>, the story of the all-black 761st Tank Battalion in World War II. His latest is <em>On the Shoulders of Giants</em>, an examination of the poets, artist, musicians, athletes and activists of the Harlem Renaissance, informed by his own experience growing up in Harlem, a neighborhood historically poor in material resources, but rich in African American history and culture.</p> <figure id="attachment_70176" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70176" style="width: 1707px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-70176 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-scaled.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70176 lazyload" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" data-sizes="(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-scaled.jpg 1707w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-507x760.jpg 507w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-760x1140.jpg 760w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-1520x2280.jpg 1520w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-scaled.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70176" class="wp-caption-text">1989 American Academy of Achievement guest of honor and Golden Plate Awards Council member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar addresses the Academy delegates at the symposium of the 2007 Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure> <p>Since 2005, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has also worked as an assistant coach with his old team, the Los Angles Lakers, sharing with a new generation of players the hard-won wisdom of his own inspiring career. In 2009, he founded the Skyhook Foundation, which fields an elite all-star traveling basketball team of middle school and high school youth in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs’ College Bound program. The Skyhook Foundation emphasizes the values of discipline, leadership, teamwork and conflict resolution that make for excellence on the basketball court and in the classroom. At-risk students participating in the program are given continuous attentive support to facilitate their progress towards higher education.</p> <figure id="attachment_10808" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10808" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-10808 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-10808 size-full lazyload" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabar presents the Golden Plate Award to Peyton Manning at the 2007 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C." width="2280" height="1587" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning-380x265.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning-760x529.jpg 760w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning-1520x1058.jpg 1520w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/man0-019-manning.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10808" class="wp-caption-text">Awards Council member and basketball MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabar presents the Golden Plate Award to Super Bowl champion quarterback Peyton Manning at the 2007 International Achievement Summit held in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure> <p>In November 2009, Abdul-Jabbar announced that he had been diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. This rare form of the blood and bone marrow cancer is manageable with medication. Abdul-Jabbar made this announcement almost a year after first receiving the diagnosis. Since he responded well to medication, he has shared his experience with the public to promote greater understanding of leukemia and its treatment.</p> <p>In the years since, Abdul-Jabbar has continued to pursue an impressive variety of philanthropic and cultural endeavors. He co-wrote and served as executive producer of a 2011 documentary film based on his book <em>On the Shoulders of Giants</em>. The film focused on a historic match played by the first all-black professional basketball team, the Harlem Rens, and featured interviews with Maya Angelou, Bill Russell and John Wooden, as well as music by Wynton Marsalis. In April 2015, the 68-year-old Abdul-Jabbar received a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Shortly after receiving his diagnosis, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery and has made a complete recovery.</p> <figure id="attachment_32495" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32495" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-32495 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-32495 size-full lazyload" alt="November 22, 2016: President Barack Obama awards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C." width="2280" height="1710" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016-380x285.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016-760x570.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-32495" class="wp-caption-text">November 22, 2016: 19-time NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama during an inspiring ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. The citation, read: “adding to his achievements on the court, Kareem also left his mark off of it, advocating for civil rights, cancer research, science education, and social justice. In doing so, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leaves a towering legacy of compassion, faith, and service to others — a legacy based not only on the strength and grace of his athleticism, but on the sharpness of his mind and the size of his heart.”</figcaption></figure> <p>In 2016, President Barack Obama recognized Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s contributions to American society with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The President noted that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had dominated professional basketball, along with fellow recipient, Michael Jordan. Citing the NCAA’s banning of dunking during Abdul-Jabbar’s time in college, Obama said, “when a sport changes its rules to make it harder just for you, you are really good.”</p> <figure id="attachment_70633" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70633" style="width: 1045px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-70633 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power.png"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70633 lazyload" alt="" width="1045" height="1567" data-sizes="(max-width: 1045px) 100vw, 1045px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power.png 1045w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-253x380.png 253w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-507x760.png 507w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-1024x1536.png 1024w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-760x1140.png 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power.png"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70633" class="wp-caption-text">2021: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is now spreading awareness and education in an important new project from the History Channel, executive producing and narrating <em>Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America</em>, an hour-long documentary that airs on June 19 (Juneteenth), the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the United States. “I think people will be able to see themselves in the position of some of the protesters,” Abdul-Jabbar says. “They’ll understand people are being denied a very fundamental right. You’ll get an idea of what makes protest a part of the American DNA and how it relates to life in America today.” (The History Channel)</figcaption></figure> <p>The NBA paid tribute to Abdul-Jabbar’s lifetime of social activism by creating the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion  Award.  The NBA will donate $100,000 to the organization of the honoree’s choice.  The award will be presented in 2021 and every year thereafter to the player who best embodies Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s striving for social justice and racial equality.</p> </body></html> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="profile" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <header class="editorial-article__header"> <figure class="text-xs-center"> <img class="inductee-badge" src="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/inducted-badge@2x.png" alt="Inducted Badge" width="120" height="120"/> <figcaption class="serif-3 text-brand-primary"> Inducted in 1989 </figcaption> </figure> </header> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <dl class="clearfix m-b-0"> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Career</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> <div><a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/#filter=.basketball-player">Basketball Player</a></div> </dd> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> April 16, 1947 </dd> </div> </dl> </aside> <article class="col-md-8 editorial-article clearfix"> <p class="inputTextFirst">It would be difficult to name another athlete who dominated his sport as long or as completely as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The greatest all-around player in the history of professional basketball, he ruled the sport through speed, agility and a devastating ambidextrous “sky hook” shot that sportswriters dubbed “the ultimate weapon.”</p> <p class="inputText">In the three seasons he played for the UCLA Bruins, he led the team to three NCAA championships and was named Most Outstanding Player in all three years, the only player in the history of the college game to hold this distinction. As a professional, his career was even more remarkable. In his 20 seasons in the NBA, he played in 19 All-Star Games, won six championship titles and six Most Valuable Player awards. Over the course of his career, he blocked more than 3,100 shots, made 17,400 rebounds and scored 38,837 points, making him the highest-scoring player in NBA history, a record that may never be broken.</p> <p class="inputText">Adored by his fans and revered by his teammates, he retired to the most heartfelt tributes in sports history. Since retirement, he has chosen to pursue a second career as an author, enjoying success with books on African American history, World War II, the Harlem Renaissance and his own experiences coaching basketball on an Apache Indian reservation. One of the most durable athletes in the history of any sport, he has gone on to earn the world’s enduring respect for his accomplishments as a human being.</p> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="interview" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <div class="col-md-12 interview-feature-video"> <figure> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/saseBg2T3IQ?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0&end=2476&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_11_43_19.Still008-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_11_43_19.Still008-760x428.jpg"></div> <div class="video-tag sans-4"> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> <div class="video-tag__text">Watch full interview</div> </div> </div> </figure> </div> <header class="col-md-12 text-xs-center m-b-2"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> </header> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <h2 class="serif-3 achiever--biography-subtitle">NBA All-Time Scoring Champion</h2> <div class="sans-2">Los Angeles, California</div> <div class="sans-2">January 18, 2007</div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8">   <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>What was it like playing for Coach John Wooden at UCLA in the 1960s? Were your teammates serious students?</strong></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hez_76PjcVY?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_30_39_26.Still012-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_30_39_26.Still012-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/integrity/">Integrity</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: When I was at UCLA, all of my teammates were serious students — well, not all of them, but most of them — and that was because Coach Wooden expected that. He wanted us to graduate. He let us know in the recruiting process that he wanted us to go to class and do well. He was just like a parent, a strict parent. He wanted us to do well. He was not someone that was just there to exploit us as athletes, and I have a lot of respect and undying love for Coach Wooden for that reason. He was not just some cynical opportunist. He really tried to show the love and caring that he had for the people that played sports for him, that was very important.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_14993" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14993" style="width: 2055px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14993 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14993 size-full lazyload" alt="The young Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) listens intently to UCLA coach John Wooden during a workout before a 1969 game against Purdue. (AP Images)" width="2055" height="2827" data-sizes="(max-width: 2055px) 100vw, 2055px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011.jpg 2055w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011-276x380.jpg 276w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011-552x760.jpg 552w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14993" class="wp-caption-text">Lew Alcindor listens intently to UCLA coach John Wooden during a workout before a 1969 game against Purdue.</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Are there any particular lessons that you take away from your relationship with Coach Wooden?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/pzSvnXXpUyw?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0&end=73&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_09_20_08.Still007-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_09_20_08.Still007-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Gee, there are so many things that I learned from Coach Wooden that had nothing to do with sports. Coach Wooden really made us think about things beyond just playing basketball, and that was a very wonderful thing to have coming from the head coach. I started out as an English major and Coach Wooden, I could talk to him about the fine points of the English language — whether to use a colon or semicolon, when to use parentheses, what was appropriate, “like” or “as” — those types of things that an English major can tell you are confusing and can be kind of daunting at times. And it had nothing to do with sports. So for that reason alone, I really thought that I was in the right place and dealing with the right situation.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_14991" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14991" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14991 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14991 size-full lazyload" alt="UCLA Bruins (L to R) Mike Lynn, Lucius Allen, Mike Warren and Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Adul-Jabbar), with Coach John Wooden, celebrate after beating North Carolina to win the 1968 NCAA championship. (AP Images)" width="2280" height="1579" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1-380x263.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1-760x526.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14991" class="wp-caption-text">UCLA Bruins (L to R) Mike Lynn, Lucius Allen, Mike Warren and Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), with Coach John Wooden, celebrate after beating North Carolina to win the 1968 NCAA championship.</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Those years you were at UCLA were turbulent years in America. How did that affect you?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think the turbulence of the ’60s affected everybody, no matter where they were — the Vietnam War, and the divide that happened to people lining up on either side of that. Also, the mid and late ’60s really were the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement, and all those things affected me on the campus at UCLA, but I thought I was in a very positive environment there. The people in and around UCLA seemed to have the right ideas on those matters, and I didn’t ever feel that I had made a bad choice.</p> <p><strong>In 1968, you could have gone to the Olympics and played on the American basketball team, but you declined the invitation. Why was that?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZSPG-Cz27M?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_30_13_20.Still011-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_30_13_20.Still011-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/integrity/">Integrity</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I declined the invitation to go to the Olympics because I didn’t feel that the Olympic situation was reality. Here we have this whole appearance of racial harmony on the American Olympic team when things weren’t that harmonious here. In addition to that, I had a very good summer job that paid me a pretty good salary, and I needed that to tide me over for the school year, and I couldn’t do both things. So I figured I had better go with what was going to benefit my life, as opposed to benefiting the Olympic movement, which I saw as very hypocritical.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><p>The gentleman that was in charge of the U.S. Olympic team, Avery Brundage, to me, was a very controversial figure. I believe in the 1930s he had supported the Nazi Party at one point. It was not somebody I wanted to work for. I didn’t want to deal with him or the Olympics, so it was pretty easy for me to make my choice.</p> <p><strong>You must have taken some heat for that.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I took a lot of heat for that, but I had good reasons not to go. I thought it would be better if I didn’t go, as opposed to going and being a problem for everybody, and being a disruptive element there. I let them do their thing, and I was going to do my thing.</p> <figure id="attachment_14996" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14996" style="width: 1910px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><noscript><img class="wp-image-14996 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-14996 size-full lazyload" alt="The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. He has won the award a record six times. (Courtesy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)" width="1910" height="2796" data-sizes="(max-width: 1910px) 100vw, 1910px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476.jpg 1910w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476-260x380.jpg 260w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476-519x760.jpg 519w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-14996" class="wp-caption-text">The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league’s MVP. He has won the award a record six times. (Courtesy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>A lot of big men have played basketball without ever becoming the kind of player you were. How do you account for your achievements on the basketball court?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think my achievements on the basketball court came from a whole lot of things coming together in one place and one person. I was able to learn the game from some of the best teachers, and I had particular skills that translated well to playing the game. So the knowledge that I had and the physical gifts that I had gave me the opportunity to be a very good player, and I was able to take advantage of that.</p> <p><strong>By the same token, there have been teams with very talented players that never won an NCAA or NBA championship. What does it take to win a championship at any level?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/VnSQG_oT4Is?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_04_36_05.Still004-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-MasterEdit.00_04_36_05.Still004-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: In order to win a championship, you have to have a lot of parts that fit together, and you have to have the opportunity to win. So in order to win, you really have to have a lot of things happen the right way. You have to have good leadership, coaching, and you have to have a talented team that can come together as a unit. And I think the reason that UCLA’s teams did so well was that Coach Wooden’s ideas on unity and team play really were cutting edge and the best. He taught those elements of the game the best of any coach in the country. You combine that with talented athletes and you’re going to have a winning program.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body data-rsssl="1"><figure id="attachment_70178" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-70178" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-70178 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484.jpg"></noscript><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-70178 lazyload" alt="" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484.jpg 2280w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-760x507.jpg 760w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, /web/20210905051927im_/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-1520x1013.jpg 1520w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-70178" class="wp-caption-text">Academy member Toni Morrison, a Nobel laureate in Literature, with honoree Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, before their remarks at the concluding symposium session of the 2007 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure> <p><strong>There is a story that is always told about Coach Wooden, that he would teach his teams how to put their socks on. Do you remember that? How did that help you become better teams?</strong></p> </body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210905051927if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/QXcQa_jn1nE?feature=oembed&hd=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&start=0&end=51&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-Upscale1of2.00_00_44_14.Still002-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-2007-Upscale1of2.00_00_44_14.Still002-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/keys-to-success/preparation/">Preparation</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The first day that you go to play for Coach Wooden, he tells you about how to put your socks on. And the reason he does that is because his system requires that you do everything on the run. You don’t jog through things, you have to run full speed. The wear and tear on your feet is immediate and intense, and if your socks aren’t on right, if you have like a ridge that you’re running over in your sock, you’re going to get a blister and then you won’t be able to practice, and if you don’t practice for Coach Wooden, you don’t play. So he was telling everybody how to survive his system and get through it without coming up with blisters on their feet.</p> </div> </div>     <aside class="collapse" id="full-interview">    <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>How does life in the NBA compare to life in a major college basketball program?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think life in the NBA was pretty easy, because you are getting paid to do something that you have done for free prior to that. You get paid pretty well, and that is all that you have to do, so all other distractions are on the periphery and you can concentrate completely on basketball. If you have a good foundation in the game, you can do very well.</p> <p><strong>You had an amazing record of winning games, at every level, but you didn’t win them all. There had to have been setbacks and disappointments and difficulties. What were your disappointments and difficulties and how did you overcome them?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: In the professional game? There are disappointments for any competitive athlete, because you can’t win all the time. Coach Wooden taught us this. He taught us that you can only come out and give your best effort. That is all you can do. The outcome is not determined by anything that you have control over. The only thing you have control over is your effort and then the effort of your group, your team, and when you put together a good effort consistently, you have a chance to win, and everybody wants to win, but there is only one team that can win it all, and you have to accept that. As long as you put your best effort out there, you should be satisfied with that, and not be down on yourself.</p> <p><strong>What was it like growing up in New York City in the 1950s and early ’60s? What was your life like?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I thought I had a really great childhood. I can’t complain about it. I had both parents that cared about me and nurtured and supported me, and taught me about discipline. They didn’t let that slide. I don’t consider myself spoiled. I did the normal things that kids did in New York in the ’50s.</p> <p>I went to the circus and the rodeo, and went to the library, and played baseball and stickball and swam. I visited my grandmothers in Brooklyn. Just the normal things, family and friends, and the magic of television. That was the earliest days of television, kind of a fascinating time.</p> <p><strong>Were you a good kid?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I considered myself to be a pretty good kid. I didn’t get in a lot of trouble. My parents were disciplinarians. They didn’t allow me a whole lot of leeway to act crazy. I didn’t get that.</p> <p><strong>How did you like school? Were you a good student?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I was a pretty good student. My mom wanted to emphasize that school was a very important part of my life. She wanted me to do well, and I took that message to heart.</p> <p><strong>Did you have hobbies? What were the kinds of things that interested you as a kid growing up?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The things that interested me the most growing up? I was a baseball fan. I wanted to play baseball. I couldn’t be a cowboy because I did not live in the West, so baseball was the refuge there.</p> <p><strong>Did you have heroes?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had heroes. Jackie Robinson was a big hero in my home, and of course, all the musicians. My dad was an avid musician. He thought that music was the pinnacle of artistic statement, so Duke Ellington and Count Basie and Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine, they were always on the turntable, and they were icons.</p> <p><strong>Do you remember the first time you stepped on a basketball court?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I kind of vaguely do. I first stepped on the basketball court at P.S. 52 in Upper Manhattan in Inwood. I remember it was during the summer when they would have the schools open for daytime activities for kids. I struggled just getting the ball up to the rim level. I couldn’t do it at first. I had to heave the ball underhanded just to get it up to the rim. I didn’t do well at all. I started to get pretty good in the 7th and 8th grades. Eighth grade, I dunked a ball in a game. That was pretty amazing in those days. I guess it would be amazing now. You know, 8th graders don’t, by and large, have that kind of skill, but for me, I think it was just the issue that I was tall enough and I had been trying it long enough, I finally got to the point where I could do it.</p> <p><strong>You must have always been the biggest kid in your class. You were something like 6′ 8″ by the time you were in the 8th grade. Was that a problem for you?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yeah, it was a problem. I was being scrutinized and always standing out. I was the only black kid quite often, so I always felt that I was a minority of one.</p> <p><strong>How did you handle that? How hard was it?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It was kind of hard. You know, you always want to fit in and be just like everybody else, especially when you are young. So that was pretty tough for me, but I got used to it. You kind of accept your fate and try to live with it.</p> <p><strong>You have written about the year you spent at Holy Providence School. What lessons did you learn there?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, at Holy Providence School, I learned some tough lessons there. The other kids didn’t appreciate the fact that I was a good student, and I was kind of singled out as an egghead, nerd kind of person. The only good thing that happened to me there was I got to play on the basketball team. That was fourth grade. That was the first year that I played basketball, and basketball was kind of like a refuge for me, but I couldn’t wait to get out of there.</p> <p><strong>It has got to be tough on a young man to be in that kind of situation. Did that make you more determined to become the best you could be in your life?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Gee, I really didn’t see that experience in terms of my whole life. It was just the couple of months that it was going to take for me to get out of there. Those were the most important parts of that scenario. I just wanted out.</p> <p><strong>When did you realize that basketball was going to be such an important part of your life?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I realized basketball was going to be an important part of my life probably somewhere in the seventh or eighth grade, when I started getting recruited to go to high school. In order to go to Catholic high school in New York, there was tuition, and already I had offers to go high school and not have to pay tuition. So at that point basketball started paying some bills, and I knew that to go to college, the same process would take place, and that would be another set of bills that I didn’t have to pay, that basketball would take care of. I also knew that professional athletes made pretty good salaries, so it started to be something that started to loom on the horizon there, so to speak.</p> <p><strong>How hard did you have to work to become a good athlete, a good basketball player?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had to work hard to become a good basketball player. You can just be tall and go out there and go through the motions, and you won’t do very well. High school basketball in New York is a blood sport, it’s a serious game. It’s not something that’s like a casual pastime. You’d better be at your best. It’s almost like the whole world is watching. Kids in New York high school athletics, by and large, are very competitive. So from the very earliest, I was in a very competitive atmosphere and you want to be at your best. You just don’t want to go through the motions, you want to distinguish yourself.</p> <p><strong>You’ve referred to the year 1964 as a rite of passage. Can you tell us about that? How old were you? Sixteen or 17 years old?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I was 17 years old and got to participate in a program, the Harlem Youth Project. Dr. John Clark really figured out a way to teach the kids in Harlem how to think about the future and what they could do to make Harlem a better place, and they had a number of workshops to try and get the kids involved in thinking about the future and what positive things they could do to contribute to life in Harlem. In order to do that, they had to know what Harlem was about. Being involved in the journalism workshop, we had to write about those things and put them in front of the participants in the program. So that required that I go and learn about the history of Harlem. That just opened my whole world up in terms of what had gone on before me, particularly the Harlem Renaissance. Because of the influence of my dad, the musician, I knew all about the musical aspects of it, but I didn’t know very much about the other aspects of the Harlem Renaissance, and that really filled in what happened and why, and it made me very proud, and it made me a student of black history.</p> <p><strong>Were you always going to go to college?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I always was going to go to college. That was a goal that my parents identified for me; probably in fifth or sixth grade I was thinking about, “Gee, where am I going to go to college?” I recently found my grade school album. You write certain things in there about your future, and at that point I wrote in the space there, “Your Favorite College,” and at that point I wrote UCLA. That surprised me to find that out. I always thought that that happened a little bit later, after seeing UCLA do so well in college basketball, but as early as the eighth grade I had picked the school that I wanted to go to.</p> <p><strong>You could have gone to any college in America. Why did you choose to travel 3,000 miles across the country to go to UCLA?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I chose UCLA because my last two years in high school, UCLA won the “NC2A” tournament. Also, earlier, I remember seeing <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em> when Rafer Johnson was on <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em>. I knew Rafer Johnson was a world class athlete, but he was not on <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em> as an athlete. He was on <em>The Ed Sullivan Show</em> as the President of the Student Body at UCLA. I was very impressed with that, that they appreciated him for more than his athletic ability. That said a lot about the attitudes at UCLA and that it would be a good place to go to school.</p> <p>Also, there was a guy who played on the Knicks, Willie Naulls, who had gone to UCLA. He spoke highly of it, and he spoke highly of Coach Wooden. All in all, it all seemed to make sense. I got a chance to meet Coach Wooden that year on my recruiting trip to UCLA, and that more or less solidified it. He came to New York and spoke to my parents, and they were impressed. They thought I would be in good hands, and that was that.</p> <p><strong>Was it scary for a young man your age to be traveling across the country?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: No, it wasn’t scary. There is a lot of adrenalin in that situation, but it’s excitement. It’s a new place, a new world, a new set of circumstances to deal with, and I thought it could only be better.</p> <p><strong>You have written that it was a tough year for you, that first year.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yeah, my first year at UCLA was tough. It was at times a lonely kind of situation. Going to school and playing basketball at a higher level — it was very challenging, but I thought that I was up to the challenge, and things worked out very well.</p> <p><strong>Were you ever nervous? Did you ever have doubts or fear of failure in your career?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I had self doubts when I was a freshman in high school. I was 14 years old and not very mature, and there were a few incidents in my freshman year. I learned in a very competitive environment. The high school environment that I played in was very intense, and I learned how to be stoic and go out and compete. My high school coach was very good at working with me, working with people. He never berated anybody or embarrassed them if they went out and played hard, and stuck to our team plan. I was very fortunate to have good coaching like that, both in high school and then again in college with Coach Wooden.</p> <p><strong>Are there any incidents that you had to deal with that stand out, or that young people could learn from?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Oh yeah. My very first high school game, I was 14 years old and we went to play a team in Brooklyn and got whipped. There was one player on the team that was doing Globetrotter tricks against our team. It was pretty bad. After the game, I came into the locker room and I felt so bad about my performance I started crying, and at that time I was 14 years old. At that age, you can be either more mature than your years or less mature in certain ways. In this particular set of circumstances, I was less mature. I was a lot closer to being 12 years old than I was to being 16 years old. So I’m crying, and I remember I looked up and all of the other guys in the locker room were looking at me like I had just landed from Mars. Crying at a time like that, like a little kid, and my maturity level just did a leap of maybe four or five years at that point. I realized that I had to leave that childish emotion and self-pity behind and learn how to compete and get with it. It was a pretty intense moment in my life and one that I refer to a lot in terms of focus and determination.</p> <p><strong>There must have been tough times for you, the 7-foot black American, in a country in racial turmoil, a country where racism was embedded into the institutions and into the system.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Yes, the racial atmosphere in the early ’60s was not a pleasant thing to endure, because America has a way of not acknowledging racial attitudes, and at other times taking the attitude that “things will change <em>later</em>. ” Of course, things have to change <em>now</em> if there is going to be any progress <em>now</em>. So the impatience in communities that felt racial oppression was very, very intense. The whole idea of “Freedom Now” emerged in the ’60s, and it was something that I had to debate with my peers almost on a daily basis.</p> <p><strong>How did those debates turn out usually?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think people started to get the idea that certain things did have to change if America was going to be the place that it put itself up to be. People like Dr. King and Malcolm X really intensified the debate and made people deal with the issues, and that went across the board. I don’t think any group or any individuals really got a chance to not participate. You had to participate. These things affected you no matter who you are or where you were.</p> <p><strong>Everyone in public life, athletes included, is subject to criticism. How do you handle criticism?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I handle criticism by understanding that you can’t please everybody and you should live according to your own standards, especially if they are reasonable. As long as you know that you have done the best that you can in whatever circumstances that you are in and you are honest, you should be able to handle any criticism that arises, because you understand within yourself that you’re not perfect. You can’t please everybody, and if you understand that, you can move on.</p> <p><strong>How hard is it to understand that?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think after a considerable amount of time in the public eye, you understand that this is just the way that things are, that people are going to criticize you and you can’t please everybody. As long as you do the best you can in an honest effort, you should be all right.</p> <p><strong>You were raised Catholic, you went to Catholic schools, and you made a decision in the early ’70s to become a Muslim. How did that come about?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My interest in Islam started when I was a freshman at UCLA and I got the opportunity to read <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>, and it really made me understand that there was a lot more to monotheism than what I knew being raised as a Roman Catholic. I found in Islam that I certainly had a limited view of what monotheism was about, and it made me curious enough to read the Koran and see that it probably was something that I needed to investigate more completely. I was won over by the arguments. The fact that the Roman Catholic Church was greatly invested in the slave trade did not help me want to remain Catholic, and because of that, I changed my affiliation. I embraced Islam basically after reading <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>, which gave me a different perspective on monotheism and the history of religions.</p> <p><strong>What has it meant to you to be a Muslim?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think Islam has given me a moral foundation. It gave me a way of trying to balance your own personal ambitions, what you want and need in the world, with some type of morality and a way of viewing what life is about. It certainly doesn’t help, at this point now, that there are so many problems with the Islamic world. But I think those have to do with politics, and the Islamic world’s reaction to colonialism and being exploited, a lot more than really is based on religious belief. Because all of the religions that come from Abraham basically have the same message. Not very much difference if you can study it objectively, but that is hard to do in this day and age when there is so much politics and nationalism and resentment for things that have gone on centuries ago. It’s kind of hard to overcome.</p> <p><strong>Has it been tougher in America in the last five years to be a follower of Islam?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It has been very tough to be a Muslim in America ever since 9/11. Just the fact that Muslims were responsible for such an atrocity, how do you explain that? People aren’t really willing to listen without saying that all Muslims feel that way, or there is something inherent in Islam that encourages people to go out and indiscriminately murder. It is not the case, but that is what has happened.</p> <p><strong>We’d like to talk about your life off the basketball court. You’ve written several books now. How do you choose the topics for your books?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: When I am writing a book, I just choose a topic that I think is interesting and relevant, and something that people would want to know about, and I try and make a coherent presentation of what I see.</p> <p><strong>Surely it also has to be something that you feel is important. What is important to you, off the basketball court?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, off the basketball court, I think that making the world a better place, making my environment a better place, my community, my country. I think that is something that all people should aspire to. If you improve yourself, if you improve your environment, you are contributing to the good of all people, and I think that is a worthy thing for people to aspire to.</p> <p><strong>You have written a book about the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ’30s. What is the importance to you personally of the Harlem Renaissance?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, for me the Harlem Renaissance epitomizes the pinnacle of the efforts of black people to contribute to American life. I think that the aspirations of the participants in the Harlem Renaissance were such that we should know about it. I think especially young black people today should use that as a template for what they can do with their lives. They can use it as a means to see what their aspirations can bring forward. The poetry of Langston Hughes, the music of Duke Ellington, the social commentary of people like W.E.B. DuBois, all of these are things that made a difference in America and made a difference in black life. I think that is something that our young people should learn about.</p> <p><strong>You have written about the importance of jazz in your life. What does jazz mean to you? Why is it important to you?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Jazz, to me, is important because it is an expression of joy. It is an expression of people who, even though they were living in oppressive circumstances, were not going to take the negativity as the last statement on all circumstances, that things could change and that hope certainly was part of the process, and that change was — even more than being possible — inevitable.</p> <p><strong>Is that what it is about? A sense of possibility, a sense of hope against obstacles?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A sense of hope against obstacles, and a sense of joy when those obstacles are overcome, and that every little victory can be celebrated in the moment.</p> <p><strong>I think you’ve said in your book that jazz even helped you become a better basketball player. How is that?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Certainly music helps you to do things with more joy, and just what you learn about timing and harmony, and your reaction to the choices that the people around you make, which is part of the jazz experience. All those things can help an athlete.</p> <p><strong>You hear the sportscasters talk about athletes or things being in rhythm or out of rhythm. Is there a beat, is there a tempo, is there a rhythm going through your head when you are out there on the court?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: There is a certain group dynamic that happens with a jazz band, and it’s the same thing that happens on the playing field. What the group is trying to do in their efforts to achieving that goal, that’s something that is shared, and it is something that the team has to be aware of collectively. They have to act as a unit. They can’t just do it all as individuals. That cohesion of the unit makes for great team play, and it also makes for great music.</p> <p><strong>This might be an unfair question, but what do you consider your greatest achievement so far?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My greatest achievement, I think, has been being a successful parent, sending my kids to school. They are all college grads. They understand who they are, where they are, and have made a good statement with their lives. I think that has been the best thing that I have done.</p> <p><strong>When you were growing up, what influenced you? What were the important things in your life, whether they were individuals or books or events or music?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think I certainly enjoyed seeing the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series in 1955. That was a very special moment. I will never forget that. Playing on the city championship team for three years in a row in high school, that was very special for me, something I enjoyed. Doing well at UCLA both as a student and as an athlete, that was very important to me. Doing well as a professional basketball player, being consistent, and being able to make the All Star team and be the Most Valuable Player in the league, that is something I am proud of as a personal achievement.</p> <p><strong>Was there a book you read as a young man that enlightened you in some way, that inspired you or challenged you?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>, by Alex Haley, really inspired me to know more and to emulate the positive growth that Malcolm X went through. He started out on a very negative path. He was a thief and someone involved in the underworld, and he grew out of that. His exposure to the teachings of the Nation of Islam made him want to change, and then when he saw that the Nation of Islam had some problems, he put that behind him, and through Islam — orthodox Islam — he found a better path, and he never stopped trying to improve himself and increase his knowledge. I think that is a great example for anyone.</p> <p><strong>If a young person came to you for advice, what would that advice be? What would you say to them?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think the statement that “knowledge is power” is a very succinct way of getting the message across that you have to know what is right, you have to pursue what is right, and the only way that you can know and do these things is to acquire knowledge. Flailing around in the dark does not help anyone.</p> <p><strong>As you look ahead into the 21st century, what do you see as the greatest challenges to America as a country?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think America has the challenge ahead of it of making the promise of the Constitution real for everyone. Everyone needs to have the opportunity to succeed. That’s a very difficult thing to make happen. A lot of societies have tried that and failed. I think we have to continually reassess and reinvent how we approach the promise of the American Dream.</p> <p><strong>If there is one problem you could solve, what would it be?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: If there was one problem I could solve, I would want to deal with the issue of equality, equality of opportunity. The only way that I see that we can make that a reality is to educate everyone, to make the educational system work for all segments of society, the rich and the poor. That has not happened, and we have the problems that we have based mainly on the lack of opportunity for people who don’t get the education that they need to contribute to society.</p> <p><strong>Does an athlete as prominent as yourself have a special responsibility? Are you role models?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think all prominent people, no matter what field they are in, have a responsibility to show others how to get things done. The whole idea of sharing your knowledge and allowing other people to see how to succeed, I think that is very important. I think that works for everyone. It is my hope that that becomes the norm for America.</p> <p><strong>How do you personally measure achievement? How do you measure success?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I measure success basically by seeing how far a person can go in whatever field that they choose. If you choose to write, can you get something published that people will want to read? I think that is a pretty straightforward example of someone attempting and succeeding at an effort. For other people, having the ability to go out and support themselves, if they can do that, and get to the point where they can raise and support a family, I think that is another great achievement. It doesn’t always have to be spectacular stuff, it just has to be living a normal life.</p> <p><strong>What gave you a greater sense of achievement or joy, winning an NBA championship, beating the Celtics, whatever you did as an athlete, or seeing one of your books in print?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think seeing one of my books in print has given me as much joy and sense of achievement as winning an NBA championship. Although I don’t get the notoriety from my books that I have gotten as an athlete, it still gives me great joy to know that I can contribute to American life something significant. Well, it is significant to me, and possibly the people who pick up my books and read them get some fulfillment out of it. I think that to me is very meaningful and it gives me a lot of joy.</p> <p><strong>Do you ever think about the fact that you are called the greatest to ever play the game, that no one ever played basketball better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think that what I achieved as an athlete is really wonderful, but limited, and I think that the books I have written, after I am dead, people can still read them. I have stopped contributing anything on the basketball court. I do a little bit of coaching, but the books I have written are able to spread knowledge and inform people, and that will continue after I have passed on. I think that really makes me feel special in ways that my achievement in sports have not. Mark Twain is a hero of mine. I have written some things that might last in the same way that <em>Huck Finn</em> has lasted. It has that possibility. That is a special thing for me.</p> <p><strong>How would you like to be remembered? What would you like to have as a legacy?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think my legacy is the fact that I was able to do well as an athlete and as a scholar. I am very proud of that, and I hope people can understand and learn from the things that I have written long after I am gone. I hope that that is what happens.</p> <p><strong>By the way, your new book is terrific.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Thank you very much. It was fun writing it.</p> <p><strong>You should be really be proud of that.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I am. I remember the first book I wrote some 25 years ago, it was very difficult, just being public with private information. That was my autobiography. I remember like six weeks before it was getting ready to come out on the bookstands, I wanted them to stop the project, because I said, “I can’t be public like that,” and with every publication since then, the process has gotten easier and I think the books have improved.</p> <p><strong>How tough is it for you to face that blank page, or a blank computer screen?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I don’t think that is tough, because if you have an idea of something meaningful to communicate, you can move forward on that. You might not be successful in communicating what you want to communicate, but at least you have an idea of something that needs to be said, or something that you think should be said, and I think you go from there.</p> <p><strong>Is there anything we haven’t talked about that you want to talk about?</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: No. If you are happy, I am happy.</p> <p><strong>You have been very generous with your time. We appreciate that and we thank you very much.</strong></p> <p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The pleasure is mine.</p> </div>  </aside>  <div class="read-more__toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#full-interview"><a href="#" class="sans-4 btn">Read full interview</a></div> </article> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane" id="gallery" role="tabpanel"> <section class="isotope-wrapper">  <header class="toolbar toolbar--gallery bg-white clearfix"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="serif-4">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Gallery</div> </div> <div class="col-md-6 text-md-right isotope-toolbar"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline m-b-0 text-brand-primary sans-4"> <li class="list-inline-item" data-filter=".photo"><i class="icon-icon_camera"></i>20 photos</li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="isotope-gallery isotope-box single-achiever__gallery clearfix"> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.975" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-GettyImages-451091689.jpg" data-image-caption="College Basketball: NCAA Final Four: Closeup of UCLA Lew Alcindor (33), victorious with net after winning National Championship vs Dayton at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, March 1967. (Photo by Neil Leifer /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)" data-image-copyright="University of California Los Angeles vs University of Dayton, 1967 NCAA National Championship" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-GettyImages-451091689-380x371.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-GettyImages-451091689-760x741.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4643545279383" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476.jpg" data-image-caption="The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. He has won the award a record six times. (Courtesy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)" data-image-copyright="wp-Abdul-Jabbar Kareem476" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476-260x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem476-519x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-013.jpg" data-image-caption="NBA Hall of Famer and Academy member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presents NFL MVP Peyton Manning with the Golden Plate Award at the 2007 International Achievement Summit in Washington, DC. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="abd0-013" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-013-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-013-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.70789473684211" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012.jpg" data-image-caption="The December 5, 1966 issue of "Sports Illustrated" celebrated Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and his first season at UCLA. (Credit: Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated)" data-image-copyright="UCLA Lew Alcindor" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012-380x269.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-012-760x538.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3768115942029" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011.jpg" data-image-caption="The young Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) listens intently to UCLA coach John Wooden during a workout before a 1969 game against Purdue. (AP Images)" data-image-copyright="UCLA ALCINDOR" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011-276x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-011-552x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4339622641509" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-010.jpg" data-image-caption="Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots a sky hook in a game against the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas on April 6, 1984. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)" data-image-copyright="KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-010-265x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-010-530x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power.png" data-image-caption="2021: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is now spreading awareness and education in an important new project from the History Channel, executive producing and narrating Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America, an hour-long documentary that airs on June 19 (Juneteenth), the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of slaves in the United States. “I think people will be able to see themselves in the position of some of the protesters,” Abdul-Jabbar says. “They’ll understand people are being denied a very fundamental right. You’ll get an idea of what makes protest a part of the American DNA and how it relates to life in America today.” (The History Channel)" data-image-copyright="abdul-jabbar - fight the power" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-253x380.png [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abdul-jabbar-fight-the-power-507x760.png"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.69210526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1.jpg" data-image-caption="UCLA Bruins (L to R) Mike Lynn, Lucius Allen, Mike Warren and Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), with Coach John Wooden, celebrate after beating North Carolina to win the 1968 NCAA championship. (AP Images)" data-image-copyright="abd0-009" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1-380x263.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-009-1-760x526.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5109343936382" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008.jpg" data-image-caption="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots over the head of the Philadelphia 76ers' Caldwell Jones in the 1980 NBA finals. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated)" data-image-copyright="Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1980 Finals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008-251x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-008-503x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.0026385224274" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007.jpg" data-image-caption="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in action against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1982 finals. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated)" data-image-copyright="Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1982 Finals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007-380x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-007-758x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5767634854772" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006.jpg" data-image-caption="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes a hook shot for the L.A. Lakers in this 1988 game, while Bill Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons tries to block. (Richard Mackson/Sports Illustrated) " data-image-copyright="Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1988 NBA Finals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006-241x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-006-482x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.3403880070547" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005.jpg" data-image-caption="April 1, 1968 issue of "Sports Illustrated" shows Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) playing for UCLA against Houston. (Rich Clarkson/Sports Illustrated)" data-image-copyright="UCLA Lew Alcindor, 1968 NCAA Finals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005-284x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-005-567x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.80394736842105" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003.jpg" data-image-caption="A young Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, blocks a shot during a high school basketball game in 1964. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)" data-image-copyright="Lew Alcindor Blocking Shot During Basketball Game" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003-380x306.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/07/abd0-003-760x611.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158.jpg" data-image-caption="A teenage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, proudly displays his "Most Valuable Player" trophy after leading his team to victory in the Catholic High School AA championships in New York City, 1965. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)" data-image-copyright="© Bettmann/CORBIS" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158-380x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/abd0-002-e1454343727158.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.75" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016.jpg" data-image-caption="November 22, 2016: President Barack Obama awards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C." data-image-copyright="wp-kareem-2016" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016-380x285.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/11/wp-kareem-2016-760x570.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5230460921844" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS.jpg" data-image-caption="2007: On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Rennaissance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar invites the reader on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace, through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life." data-image-copyright="wp-abdul-jabbar-kareem-bookcover-on-the-shoulders-of-giants" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS-249x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Abdul-Jabbar-Kareem-bookcover-ON-THE-SHOULDERS-OF-GIANTS-499x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484.jpg" data-image-caption="Academy member Toni Morrison, a Nobel laureate in Literature, with honoree Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, before their remarks at the concluding symposium session of the 2007 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C." data-image-copyright="wp-Toni Morrison and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 2007 Summit - Washington DC - academy_1484" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1484-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-scaled.jpg" data-image-caption="Academy honoree Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the concluding symposium of the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C." data-image-copyright="wp-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 2007 Summit - Washington DC - Symposium - Chamber of Commerce - academy_1408" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-Symposium-Chamber-of-Commerce-academy_1408-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483.jpg" data-image-caption="Academy member Toni Morrison, a Nobel laureate in Literature, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, reading his book, On the Shoulders of Giants, prior to speaking at the concluding symposium of the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C." data-image-copyright="wp-Toni Morrison and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 2007 Summit - Washington DC - academy_1483" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/01/wp-Toni-Morrison-and-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-2007-Summit-Washington-DC-academy_1483-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5261044176707" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-scaled.jpg" data-image-caption="Awards Council member and Academy Patron Henry R. Kravis presenting the Golden Plate Award to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the introductory dinner and symposium during the 1989 Achievement Summit in San Francisco." data-image-copyright="wp-1989-Henry Kravis and Kareem Abdu-Jabbar" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-249x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2021/05/wp-1989-Henry-Kravis-and-Kareem-Abdu-Jabbar-1-498x760.jpg"></div>  </figure>    </div> </section> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <footer class="editorial-article__footer col-md-8 col-md-offset-4"> <div class="editorial-article__next-link sans-3"> <a href="#"><strong>What's next:</strong> <span class="editorial-article__next-link-title">profile</span></a> </div> <ul class="social list-unstyled list-inline ssk-group m-b-0"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-facebook" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Facebook"><i 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class="container"> <div class="find-achiever" id="find-achiever-list"> <div class="form-group"> <input id="find-achiever-input" class="search js-focus" placeholder="Search for an achiever"/> <i class="icon-icon_chevron-down"></i> </div> <ul class="find-achiever-list list m-b-0 list-unstyled"> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/hank-aaron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Hank Aaron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kareem-abdul-jabbar/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lynsey-addario/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lynsey Addario</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/edward-albee/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward Albee</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/tenley-albright-m-d/"><span 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Carter Brown</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/linda-buck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linda B. Buck, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/carol-burnett/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol Burnett</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/george-h-w-bush/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George H. W. Bush</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/susan-butcher/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Susan Butcher</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-michael-caine/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Michael Caine</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-cameron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Cameron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/benjamin-s-carson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Benjamin S. Carson, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-carter/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Carter</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/johnny-cash/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Cash</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/william-j-clinton/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William J. Clinton</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/francis-s-collins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/denton-a-cooley/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Denton A. Cooley, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/francis-ford-coppola/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Francis Ford Coppola</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ray-dalio/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Dalio</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/olivia-de-havilland/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Olivia de Havilland</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/michael-e-debakey-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/michael-dell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Michael S. Dell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ron-dennis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Dennis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/joan-didion/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joan Didion</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-herbert-donald-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David Herbert Donald, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-doubilet/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David Doubilet</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jennifer-a-doudna-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jennifer A. Doudna, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/rita-dove/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rita Dove</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sylvia-earle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sylvia Earle, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/elbaradei/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mohamed ElBaradei</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/gertrude-elion/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gertrude B. Elion, M.Sc.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/larry-j-ellison/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry J. Ellison</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/nora-ephron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nora Ephron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/julius-erving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Julius Erving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/tony-fadell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Tony Fadell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-farmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Farmer, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/suzanne-farrell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzanne Farrell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-s-fauci-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sally-field/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally Field</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lord-norman-foster/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Norman Foster</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/aretha-franklin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Aretha Franklin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/milton-friedman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Milton Friedman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/carlos-fuentes/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Fuentes</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/athol-fugard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Athol Fugard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/peter-gabriel/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peter Gabriel</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ernest-j-gaines/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernest J. Gaines</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/william-h-gates-iii/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William H. Gates III</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/leymah-gbowee/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leymah Gbowee</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-gehry/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank O. Gehry</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/murray-gell-mann-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Murray Gell-Mann, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/vince-gill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Vince Gill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ruth-bader-ginsburg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/louise-gluck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louise Glück</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/whoopi-goldberg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Whoopi Goldberg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jane-goodall/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Jane Goodall</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/doris-kearns-goodwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/mikhail-s-gorbachev/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mikhail S. Gorbachev</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/nadine-gordimer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nadine Gordimer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-jay-gould/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Jay Gould, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/carol-greider-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol W. Greider, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-grisham/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Grisham</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-john-gurdon/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir John Gurdon</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dorothy Hamill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/demis-hassabis-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Demis Hassabis, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lauryn-hill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lauryn Hill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-edmund-hillary/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Edmund Hillary</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/reid-hoffman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reid Hoffman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/khaled-hosseini/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Khaled Hosseini, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ron-howard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Howard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-hume/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Hume</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/louis-ignarro-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louis Ignarro, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/daniel-inouye/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Daniel K. Inouye</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jeremy-irons/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jeremy Irons</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-irving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Irving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/kazuo-ishiguro/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Kazuo Ishiguro</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sir-peter-jackson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Peter Jackson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/donald-c-johanson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Donald C. Johanson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-m-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank M. Johnson, Jr.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/philip-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Philip C. Johnson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/chuck-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Chuck Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-earl-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Earl Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/quincy-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Quincy Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/beverly-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Beverly Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/dereck-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dereck Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-kagame/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Kagame</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/thomas-keller-2/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Thomas Keller</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-m-kennedy/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony M. Kennedy</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/carole-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carole King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/b-b-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">B.B. King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/coretta-scott-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Coretta Scott King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/henry-kissinger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry A. Kissinger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/willem-j-kolff/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willem J. Kolff, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/wendy-kopp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wendy Kopp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/henry-r-kravis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry R. Kravis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/nicholas-d-kristof/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nicholas D. Kristof</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/mike-krzyzewski/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mike Krzyzewski</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ray-kurzwell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Kurzweil</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/eric-lander-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/robert-s-langer-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/richard-leakey/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard E. Leakey</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/leon-lederman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Lederman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/robert-lefkowitz-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/congressman-john-r-lewis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Congressman John R. Lewis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/maya-lin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Maya Lin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/george-lucas/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George Lucas</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/paul-b-maccready-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul B. MacCready, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/norman-mailer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Norman Mailer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/peyton-manning/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peyton Manning</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/wynton-marsalis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wynton Marsalis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-c-mather-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John C. Mather, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/johnny-mathis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Mathis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ernst-mayr-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernst Mayr, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/willie-mays/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willie Mays</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/frank-mccourt/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank McCourt</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-mccullough/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David McCullough</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/audra-mcdonald/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Audra McDonald</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-william-h-mcraven/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral William H. McRaven, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/w-s-merwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">W. S. Merwin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/reinhold-messner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reinhold Messner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James A. Michener</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/marvin-minsky-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Marvin Minsky, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/mario-j-molina-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mario J. Molina, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/n-scott-momaday-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">N. Scott Momaday, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/story-musgrave/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Story Musgrave, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ralph-nader/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ralph Nader</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/peggy-noonan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peggy Noonan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jessye-norman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jessye Norman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/tommy-norris/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Thomas R. Norris, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lynn-nottage/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lynn Nottage</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/joyce-carol-oates/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joyce Carol Oates</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/pierre-omidyar/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pierre Omidyar</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/larry-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/arnold-palmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Arnold Palmer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/leon-panetta/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Panetta</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/rosa-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rosa Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/suzan-lori-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzan-Lori Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/linus-pauling/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linus C. Pauling, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/shimon-peres/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Shimon Peres</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/itzhak-perlman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Itzhak Perlman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-david-petraeus/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General David H. Petraeus, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sidney-poitier/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sidney Poitier</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-colin-l-powell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General Colin L. Powell, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/harold-prince/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Harold Prince</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/venki-ramakrishnan-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Venki Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lord-martin-rees/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Martin Rees</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lloyd-richards/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lloyd Richards</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sally-ride-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally K. Ride, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/cal-ripken-jr/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Cal Ripken Jr.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sonny-rollins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonny Rollins</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/anthony-romero/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony D. Romero</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-rosenquist/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Rosenquist</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/martine-rothblatt-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/pete-rozelle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pete Rozelle</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/bill-russell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Bill Russell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/albie-sachs/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Albie Sachs</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/oliver-sacks-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Oliver Sacks, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/jonas-salk-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jonas Salk, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/frederick-sanger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick Sanger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/george-b-schaller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George B. Schaller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/barry-scheck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Barry Scheck</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/richard-evans-schultes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard Evans Schultes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/general-h-norman-schwarzkopf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-schwarzman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen A. Schwarzman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/glenn-t-seaborg-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/neil-sheehan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Neil Sheehan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-alan-shepard-jr/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/carlos-slim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Slim Helú</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/frederick-w-smith/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick W. Smith</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/stephen-sondheim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Sondheim</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonia Sotomayor</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/wole-soyinka/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wole Soyinka</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/esperanza-spalding/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Esperanza Spalding</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/martha-stewart/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Martha Stewart</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/admiral-james-b-stockdale/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Hilary Swank</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/amy-tan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Amy Tan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Kiri Te Kanawa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/edward-teller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward Teller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/twyla-tharp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Twyla Tharp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wayne Thiebaud</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lt-michael-e-thornton-usn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Michael E. Thornton, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/clyde-tombaugh/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Clyde Tombaugh</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/charles-h-townes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Charles H. Townes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/david-trimble/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord David Trimble</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/ted-turner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert Edward (Ted) Turner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/desmond-tutu/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Archbishop Desmond Tutu</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/john-updike/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Updike</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/gore-vidal/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gore Vidal</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/antonio-villaraigosa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Antonio Villaraigosa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/lech-walesa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lech Walesa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/herschel-walker/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Herschel Walker</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/alice-waters/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Alice Waters</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/james-d-watson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James D. Watson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/andrew-weil-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Andrew Weil, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/leslie-h-wexner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leslie H. Wexner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/elie-wiesel/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Elie Wiesel</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20210905051927/https://achievement.org/achiever/edward-o-wilson-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward O. 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