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NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflects on Hall of Fame career, collecting and giving back to kids and fans
By any measure, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
During his illustrious two-decade long NBA career, he was a 19-time All Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time member of the All-Defensive Team. He won a record six NBA MVP awards as well as six NBA championships.
At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's regular-season career leader in points, games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted, blocks, defensive rebounds, and even personal fouls.
The all-time great was a member of the NBA's 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary teams.
For as dominant as Kareem was during his Hall of Fame career, the star known then as Lew Alcindor might have been even more dominant at the collegiate level.
The dominant 7-2 center was a three-time NCAA champion, three-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and a three-time National College Player of the Year at UCLA. He is a member of both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
The multi-talented Abdul-Jabbar, now 77, also has been wildly successful and impactful off the court as an actor, best-selling author, martial artist, and social activist.
In this exclusive interview with Tony Reid, the sports legend and cultural icon talks about his famous rookie card, the items he collected over the years, who he would want to swap jerseys with, and much more.
Your iconic rookie card appeared in the 1969-70 Topps Basketball set. Do you remember seeing yourself on a trading card for the first time? If so, what were your thoughts and feelings in the moment?
I realized it was inevitable that they would do a card of me because they did cards of all the NBA starters, even though I was delighted and excited when I saw my first card. It was like a rite of passage as a professional, saying I had arrived.
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There have been more than 4,400 different basketball cards produced of you over the years. Is there one that stands out or one that is most memorable?
I’m shocked that there were that many. I like the ones that included statistics about my career. Some had no information at all and those seemed more about me as a celebrity rather than an athlete. I would probably say my rookie card was my favorite.
You made an appearance at the Fanatics Fan Fest in New York City. What is the experience like from your perspective meeting fans and spending hours taking pictures and signing autographs?
Physically speaking, it’s exhausting. But I really appreciate the opportunity to interact with fans who have such powerful and vivid memories of watching my games, usually with someone they loved. I love that I was somehow part of that emotional experience they had with someone else. It’s also a chance for fans to see just how human and down to earth we athletes are.
What is your most memorable fan interaction?
I just had a nice encounter recently. I had a luncheon engagement with a friend and I saw a kid at another table wearing a Lakers cap. I went to his table, leaned over, and said, “Gimme five.” He looked confused. He didn’t recognize me and wondered who this giant man was asking for five. However, his mother recognized me and told him and the boy was excited. That made me laugh.
Whether at Power Memorial High School, UCLA, Milwaukee, L.A., or somewhere in between, when was the first time you were asked for your autograph?
In the ninth grade, I was at a game at Madison Square Garden and some random guy asked me for my autograph because he thought I was in the NBA. I signed the paper he handed to me and gave it back. He looked at it, frowned, and said, “You’re making that name up.” He was disappointed.
A new tradition is the post-game jersey swap. If you could go back to your playing career, who would you want to share the experience of a jersey swap with?
Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Earl Monroe, Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West. Those were guys I was honored to play with and against.
A few years back, you sold over 200 items from your personal collection and raised nearly $3 million, with most of the money going to your Skyhook Foundation. You said, in essence, instead of having trophies and shiny things, you'd rather see a child hold a caterpillar and that giving a child a brighter future is priceless. Have you had the experience (literally or figuratively) of seeing youngsters holding caterpillars? How special is it to know that so many children will be helped based on your generosity and contributions from that auction?
I have visited the camps and taken pictures with the kids, but I don’t have to go there to feel good about the education they’re getting. I love the idea of city kids going into the woods and seeing the vast wonders of nature for the first time.
You have been a collector for much if your life in one form or another, from an amazing coin collection, to rugs, records, and more. Are there certain items or categories that you're still an active collector of?
I still have some of the art, coins, and rugs I collected, but I’m not actively looking to collect new things.
What was it about collecting that brought you joy?
In fourth grade, I started collecting stamps. I was fascinated by how they looked, the intricate art on a tiny canvas. And I liked the idea that they had traveled from place to place, like I hoped to do some day. Later, I started collecting coins and enjoyed learning the history behind each coin. Each one was like a small history book that told me so much about the country and time period. I also liked the idea that these little bits of history appreciated in value over time. I recently had a coin appraised that I had bought for a few thousand dollars and its now worth a few hundred dollars.
If we could flip over one of your trading cards and you had the choice of one stat or fact to be listed, what is the one piece of information you would want written?
If a card was to contain the one fact about me that I hold most valuable, it would be the excellence combined with the longevity I had in my career.
