Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947) was a successful high school, collegiate, and professional basketball player. Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (usually known as Lew Alcindor) in New York City, he was a center who grew to seven feet 3 inches (2.21 m) tall. He led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships and a 71-game winning streak. He played for UCLA from 1967 - 1969. During his time on the team, UCLA lost only 2 games. He was the number 1 1969 NBA draft pick. After graduating from UCLA, he played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. While at UCLA Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam. He took his Arabic name in 1971.At UCLA, he suffered a scratched left eyeball; from then on, he mostly played wearing goggles.
Abdul-Jabbar was famous for his sky hook shot, which was notoriously hard to defend against. He was also notable for his physical fitness regimen.
Statistics
- Games Played - 1560 (2nd Highest in NBA history)
- Field Goal % - 55.9 (8th Highest)
- Free Throw % - 72.1
- 3-Point % - 5.6
- Rebounds - 17,440 (3rd Highest)
- Rebounds per Game - 11.2 (25th Highest)
- Assists - 5660 (29th Highest)
- Assist per Game - 3.6
- Steals - 1160
- Steals per Game -
- Blocks - 3189 (Highest)
- Blocks per Game - 2.57
- Points - 38,387 (Highest)
- Points per Game - 24.6 (12th Highest)
- College Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
- Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1995)
- Played on NCAA champion teams (1967, 1968, 1969)
- NCAA Player of the Tournament (1967, 1968, 1969)
- Played on NBA champion teams (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
- NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980) (a record 6 times)
- NBA Final MVP (1971, 1985)
- Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" (1985)
- Rookie of the Year (1970)
- One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)