There were times when Kareem was not easy to root for. There was the time Dr.J posterized in a all star game, there was the time when Kareem turned thug and broken his hand punching Milwaukee center Kent Benson in the face. But there was no denying that Kareem was one of the greatest players ever in the history of basketball. The odd thing is when people talkabout the greatest players of all time …Micael Jordan, Larry Bird …Magic Johnson and some even now put LeBron in the conversation. No one gives Kareem his due respect. Kareem played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a 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 as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
At the time of his retirement in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA’s all-time leader in 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), and personal fouls (4,657). He remains the all-time leading scorer in the NBA, and is ranked 3rd all-time in both rebounds and blocks.
He has a stellar career in college as well, Kareem played four seasons for the UCLA Bruins; on the freshman team in 1965–66 and from 1966–69 under coach John Wooden, contributing to the team’s three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses.
During his college career, Kareem was twice named Player of the Year (1967, 1969); was a three-time First Team All-American (1967–69); played on three NCAA basketball champion teams (1967, 1968, 1969); was honored as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament (1967, 1968, 1969); and became the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969.
So while LeBron has his mount rushmore and fells he des4rves a spot the neglated big man …Kareem deserves more than just a mention his spot on Basketball’s mount rushmore maybe he deserves the whole mountain.
Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday salutes the pride of Power Memorial High School in New York City…Kareem Abdul Jabbar!
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