The Kareem of the Crop (Part 1)
Basketball is an old sport; with a beginning that can be traced all the way back to the year 1891. It carries with it a rich and bountiful history with many legends such as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Michael Jordan. There is however, one star that shined brighter than the rest. That star is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; born on 16th April, 1947, Abdul-Jabbar showed off his talent ever since he started playing college basketball. He grew up in Manhattan, New York and was the only child in his family. His name was originally Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., but he changed it when he converted to Islam. Abdul-Jabbar was raised as a Catholic, but converted to Islam. During his time playing basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar managed to score the most points than anyone else in the history of the NBA. He won 6 NBA Championships, and a record 6 “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) awards. When in college, Abdul-Jabbar played for 3 Championship teams and won 71 games consecutively for his high school team.
During his college years, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for the UCLA Bruins, for one year (1966 to 1967). There he helped the team win a record of 88 wins and 2 losses (1 to Houston, and the other to their rivals, USC. Abdul-Jabbar was named player of the year twice in his time at college, and won the “First Team All-American” 3 times. He was chosen as the “Most Outstanding Player” in the NCAA tournament and was the first “Naismith College Player of the Year” in 1969. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar playing for them, UCLA became the very first school to have the winners of college basketball and football’s highest award in the same year. He was so good, that the college banned the “dunk” shot due to his excessive use of the technique, and to make the game fair for the other players. In 1968, Abdul-Jabbar suffered from an injury in his left eye and thus, had to miss the next couple of games.
After his college years, in 1969, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks; this was his gateway to the NBA. He was also chosen by the by the American Basketball Association’s New York Nets. Kareem told the two teams that he could play for only one of them and since he Nets were offering him less money, he chose the NBA. The Bucks used Abdul-Jabbar’s skills and won second place in the eastern division with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was second in the score ranking, and third in rebounding. These statistics earned him the title of NBA Rookie of the year and along with it, came instant stardom. In the 1970-1971 seasons, Milwaukee was in good shape, especially after the addition of Oscar Robertson. Milwaukee went on to set the record with 66 wins and a record of 22 straight wins. The Bucks went on to beat the Baltimore Bullets in the finals, and Abdul-Jabbar achieved the Finals MVP award. Abdul-Jabbar stayed as a constant helper for Milwaukee (he received the title of scoring champion and NBA MVP the next season as well). Abdul-Jabbar won his third MVP in 1973. In 1974, Abdul-Jabbar injured his left eye again by getting bumped in the face. This injury forced him to start wearing goggles. He also broke his hand during the 1977-1978 season, when he punched team mate Kent Benson, which caused Abdul-Jabbar to be out of the game for two months. In 1974, he requested to be traded to either New York or Los Angeles.
In 1975, Kareem Abdul Jabbar transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers. He had an amazing first season with his new team, averaging 17.7 points per game. In fact, his 1111 defensive rebounds still remains the NBA “single season” record. He attained his fourth MVP award. However, while playing for the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar’s eye injury developed into “corneal erosion syndrome”.
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