Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a legendary American retired professional basketball player who spent an impressive 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
During his illustrious career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar achieved unparalleled success, earning the title of record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP),a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member.
A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar was voted NBA Finals MVP on two occasions. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
In 1975, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career and won five additional NBA championships. His contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball.
Throughout his 20-year NBA career, Abdul-Jabbar's teams enjoyed remarkable success, making the playoffs an impressive 18 times and advancing past the first round 14 times. His teams reached the NBA Finals an astonishing 10 occasions.
At the time of his retirement at the age of 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar held numerous NBA records, including the most points scored (38,387),games played (1,560),minutes played (57,446),field goals made (15,837),field goal attempts (28,307),blocked shots (3,189),defensive rebounds (9,394),career wins (1,074),and personal fouls (4,657).
In 2007, ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time, and in 2008, they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history". In 2016, they named him the second best player in NBA history, behind only Michael Jordan.
Abdul-Jabbar has also pursued other passions, including acting, basketball coaching, and best-selling authorship.
