Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Biography

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947, played center for 20 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he achieved national prominence. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Abdul-Jabbar won a record six NBA Most Valuable Player awards. He broke the NBA's career scoring record in 1984 and held it until 2023. As Lew Alcindor, he led Power Memorial to 71 consecutive wins during his high school career in New York City. At age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar retired as the NBA's regular season career leader in points, games played, and blocked shots, among other categories. He has also been an actor, a basketball coach, a best-selling author, and a martial artist who trained in Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee and appeared in Game of Death in 1972.