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College scouts began watching Lewis Ferdinand Alcindor Jr. when he was just 13-years-old. By that age he was already 6' 8" tall, and Lew would grow another six inches. He was born on April 16, 1947, in New York City. He great up in Harlem and played basketball on his high school team, leading them to 71 straight wins and a 96-6 record overall.

After high school, Alcindor moved on to college, attending the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played for four years under legendary coach John Wooden. During his time there the team lost only twice in 90 games. Before he graduated with a degree in history he was influenced by the Hanafi teachings of a Turkish instructor to later convert to Islam.

His pro career began after the legendary semi-pro Harlem Globetrotters offered him a $1 million contract to play for them, which he declined. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969. It was there that he would win his first NBA championship in 1971. A day after the deciding game of the finals, he publicly announced that he had converted from Catholicism to Islam and would take the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This Arabic name means "noble, powerful servant."

Kareem went on to become one of, if not the, most prolific NBA player of all time. Citing a lack of religious and cultural outlets in Milwaukee, after six seasons he requested a trade to a more diverse city such as New York or Los Angeles. The team complied and sent him off to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would play for another 14 seasons, the most played by any pro.

He has scored the most points of all time, with a record 38,387. He was the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1970, won six championships and was the Most Valuable Player of the league six times. He mastered his famous "sky-hook" shot, which he would use to "flip" the ball over a defender and into the basket, a shot that has not used by any other player as often or successfully.

During the 1980s, Jabbar was a member of one of the most noted dynasties in basketball. In that time the Lakers won five championships, and he played with and against legends like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird before retiring in 1989. During the second half of his career he began taking small acting roles and cameos. His most memorable was perhaps Airplane! with Leslie Nielsen and Robert Hays. He's also a former pupil of martial arts master Bruce Lee and appeared in Lee's classic film Game of Death. His cameos include Fletch, starring Chevy Chase; Forget Paris, with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger; and BASEketball, from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Among his many achievements during his illustrious career in Milwaukee and Los Angeles, six-time basketball MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the all-time leading scorer. In 1978, Abdul-Jabbar translated his popularity into a film career by appearing as a hulking foe to Bruce Lee in Game of Death. The ensuing battle royale between the diminutive martial arts master and the agile seven-foot hoopster remains a highlight of martial arts cinema. Other film appearances include a memorable turn as a co-pilot who tires of being mistaken for Abdul-Jabbar in 1980's Airplane. In most of his subsequent films, Abdul-Jabbar has stuck to making cameo appearances as himself; he did however have a supporting role in the television pilot for the Robert Mitchum series Jake Spanner, Private Eye in 1989, the year he retired from professional basketball. Since then, his film and television appearances as an actor have been increasingly sporadic. Abdul-Jabbar has, however, continued to use his legendary status as an example. He is a tireless worker for various philanthropic causes and has devoted a large amount of time to helping children and steering them toward getting a good education. Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Among his many achievements during his illustrious career in Milwaukee and Los Angeles, six-time basketball MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the all-time leading scorer. In 1978, Abdul-Jabbar translated his popularity into a film career by appearing as a hulking foe to Bruce Lee in Game of Death. The ensuing battle royale between the diminutive martial arts master and the agile seven-foot hoopster remains a highlight of martial arts cinema. Other film appearances include a memorable turn as a co-pilot who tires of being mistaken for Abdul-Jabbar in 1980's Airplane. In most of his subsequent films, Abdul-Jabbar has stuck to making cameo appearances as himself; he did however have a supporting role in the television pilot for the Robert Mitchum series Jake Spanner, Private Eye in 1989, the year he retired from professional basketball. Since then, his film and television appearances as an actor have been increasingly sporadic. Abdul-Jabbar has, however, continued to use his legendary status as an example. He is a tireless worker for various philanthropic causes and has devoted a large amount of time to helping children and steering them toward getting a good education. Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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