Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, (born April 16, 1947 Fredrick Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.) An American NBA All-Star basketball player considered one of the greatest players of all time. His career spanned more than 20 years from 1969-1989. The incredible 7 foot 2 height of him made him a force to be reckoned with. His record 38,387 points made him the highest total scorer by any player in the league. Kareem was known for the famous aerial hook shot from him and received six MVP Awards.
Kareem was selected for the 1969 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Karem continued to be a dominant force for the Bucks scoring 38 points per game and helping the Bucks become division leaders for four straight years. By 1973, Kareem had won three MVP awards and was one of the NBA’s top scoring players.
In 1975, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had a dominant season averaging 27 points per game and leading the league in blocked shots and rebounds. He still holds the NBA single-season record of 1,111 defensive rebounds. Kareem continued to play strong over his next two seasons and was named to the All-NBA Second Team twice and the All-Defensive Team once. The Lakers became the most dominant team in the 1980s with the winning combination of Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson winning five NBA championships.
Kareem announced his retirement in 1989 after 20 years of professional seasons. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals in each of Abdul-Jabbar’s last three seasons, defeating Boston in 1987 and Detroit in 1988. His athletic honors include; Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in 1995, Rookie of the Year in 1970, six-time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980), Final MVP (1971, 1985), one of the fifty greatest players in NBA history and first player in NBA history to play a total of 20 seasons.