April 5, 1984 remains an exceptional date – and yet little known – in the career of the prodigious Kareem Abdul Jabbar. That year, he won nothing. Just a new quote in the All-NBA First Team. The main thing is elsewhere. At the end of the season, the Lakers pivot broke Wilt Chamberlain’s career points record in a game against Utah. Record which then stood at 31,419 units. Sublime moment for the League.
For five seasons, the interior of the Lakers will continue to improve the mark. In 1989, the date of the end clap, it amounted to 38,387 points. Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in turn overtook Chamberlain during their careers. But it will be necessary to wait until February 2023 for the bar passed by Abdul-Jabbar to fall, and it is LeBron James who seized the record to, too, take it to incredible heights. The most beautiful tribute will also be signed Abdul-Jabbar while the two have always been very distant.
Born Lew Alcindor
Two decades long between Milwaukee and Los Angeles, Jabbar’s career began in Harlem. Lew (who converted to Islam in 1971) was born in New York on April 16, 1947, two years after the end of World War II. An only son, ultra-protected by his mother but severely shaken by a very strict father. The young Alcindor throws himself headlong into basketball to escape the family environment as quickly as possible. Spotted by the special envoys of John Wooden, he joined the West Coast of the United States and landed on the UCLA campus. With the Bruins, he won three NCAA titles in 1967, 68 and 69. Player of the Year twice, Alcindor is on the shelves of all scouts in the country.
The Bucks choose him in 1st position of the 1969 draft. At the time, Milwaukee is a franchise with only two years of experience. When the 2.18 m giant arrives in Wisconsin, the big men begin to desert the League (Bill Russell has just covered in Boston) or are getting old, like Wilt Chamberlain who is approaching 35 years old. The door to success opens wide for the newcomer to the Bucks who begins with a title of Rookie of the Year, with an average of 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds.
Champion in his second year
During the summer of 1970, Milwaukee went from strength to strength with Oscar Robertson and young Lucius Allen. The effect is immediate. In the wake of Alcindor, who won his first MVP title of the season, Bob Dandridge, Jon McGlocklin and Greg Smith, the Bucks were crowned champions against the Baltimore Bullets (4-0). Kareem has plenty of time to admire himself in his first ring. He will have to wait nine years before winning a new one! He is certainly sacred four times MVP of the regular season (1972, 74, 76, 77) but it is only with the Lakers showtime version that he will know the consecration again.
The divorce from Milwaukee came in the summer of 1975. Lew Alcindor, who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, caused trouble among Bucks fans. We do not understand his religious beliefs. We wonder about his culture, his opinions, his aspirations. Kareem demands a trade in a big city. Either Los Angeles or New York. There, tolerance and openness are greater, without being exceptional either. A deal is made with the Lakers. But it is a bruised man who sets foot on the Pacific Coast. Abdul-Jabbar lost a house and, even more, his childhood memories in a fire of unexplained origin. It will take a long, long time to win a smile from this extraordinary athlete who will win six NBA rings (five with the Magic Johnson Lakers), six regular season MVP titles and two Finals MVP trophies (in 1971 and 85), to name but a few.
The Antithesis of Magic Johnson
The image will remain blurred. At the height of his fame with the Angelinos, Abdul-Jabbar defined himself as “the baddest of the baddest guys”. Enough to dissuade the most reckless of reporters from going to question him. Between Magic Johnson’s Colgate smile and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s frozen mask, we quickly made our choice. To Magic light and adoration, to Kareem shadow and incomprehension. Pat Riley, who coached Abdul-Jabbar for eight seasons in Los Angeles, refuses to judge this exceptional player who has literally deposited a figure in the basketball manuals, the “skyhook” (rotation of the body in the direction of the circle and winding of the ball finishing its perfect curve in the circle).
“Why judge? When a man has broken records, won titles, endured so much criticism, responsibility, why still want to judge him at all costs? He is one of the greatest players of all time. »
During his last ten years in the League, Abdul-Jabbar won nine division titles. He will be one of the first to take advantage of the showtime orchestrated by Magic upon its arrival in 1979. During the 1980 NBA Finals against the Sixers, the LA pivot was already 33 years old. If he wins his sixth and last MVP title of the season (24.8 pts and 10.8 rebounds), he owes his second champion ring to the dashing rookie. Injured in Game 5, Abdul-Jabbar could not hold his place for the next match. Magic provides the interim and achieves one of the best perfs of all time (42 pts, 15 rbds, 7 pds and 3 ints). Injury without consequence for the future of a player that Earvin Johnson describes as “the most beautiful athlete in all sports”.
He bows out at 42
How to explain this longevity which will lead Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to play until the age of 42? We know that in recent years, he turned to yoga and martial arts, while meditation allowed him to manage stress before matches. The 1985 Final against the Celtics perfectly illustrates the way Kareem approached his meetings at that time. Ridiculed by Robert Parish during Game 1, passed to posterity under the name of “Memorial Day Massacre” (the Lakers take a correction 148-114), Abdul-Jabbar must be satisfied with 12 points and 3 rebounds.
During the two days of break preceding Match 2, he follows a specific preparation, at the time of the matches, by embarking on a real marathon focused on the work of an interior player. In this Game 2, Parish no longer knows where he lives: Abdul-Jabbar plants 30 points on his head, grabs 17 rebounds, delivers 8 assists and counters three times. Lakers win 109-102. Needless to say, the LA pivot is decisive not only in this game but also in the series, won 4-2 by the Californians. The title of MVP is for him. Moreover, it is always this 1985 Final that he highlights. A final won at Boston Garden, which had never happened to him in his career. The previous year, the Celtics had sent the Lakers back to their dear studies, like many other times under the reign of Bill Russell.
To read: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar responds to the readers of DNA of Sports
If he won two new NBA titles in 1987 and 1988, Abdul-Jabbar was not fooled when he retired. American society had evolved. She no longer looked at him as a curious beast. But the distrust of this player definitely apart was still there. “Since I retired, everyone sees me as a venerable institution. Things change… “, he laughs today. Without ever really leaving the shadows.
We saw him assistant coach with the Clippers for a few months in 2000 (looking into the Michael Olowokandi case…) then head coach of Oklahoma, a minor league team, in 2002. Returning to the Lakers, he was responsible for frame the pivots. He worked with Kwame Brown, he does the same with Andrew Bynum. But he was rarely seen chatting with Phil Jackson or his assistants… Few or no interviews, as always. A real lone wolf even if eight years ago, he had agreed to respond to the readers of DNA of Sports!
During a transit through Houston Airport a few years ago, we saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball player with all kinds of titles, buying himself an ice cream like an average traveler before taking a flight to Los Angeles. Alone with his kit, like a globetrotter. And obviously without being bothered by anyone. A strange sequence to say the least. As if this exceptional player reflected the image of ordinary mortals. There will always be a blur between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and America, even if today an award bears his name: the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award. It distinguishes the player who stands out for his actions for social justice, and he presented his trophy to Carmelo Anthony in 2021, then to Reggie Bullock in 2022.
AWARDS
NBA Titles : 1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988
MVP titles: 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
Rookie of the Year : 1970
MVP Finals : 1971, 1985
All Star : 19 selections (1970 to 1977, 1979 to 1989)
All NBA First Team : 10 selections (1971 to 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)
All NBA Second Team : 5 selections (1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985)
| Kareem Abdul Jabbar | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 1969-70 | MIL | 82 | 43 | 51.8 | 65.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 14.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 28.8 | |
| 1970-71 ★ | MIL | 82 | 40 | 57.7 | 69.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.7 | |
| 1971-72 ★ | MIL | 81 | 44 | 57.4 | 68.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.6 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34.8 | |
| 1972-73 | MIL | 76 | 43 | 55.4 | 71.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.1 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.2 | |
| 1973-74 ★ | MIL | 81 | 44 | 53.9 | 70.2 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 14.5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 27.1 | |
| 1974-75 | MIL | 65 | 42 | 51.3 | 76.3 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 30.0 | |
| 1975-76 ★ | ALL | 82 | 41 | 52.9 | 70.3 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 16.9 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 27.7 | |
| 1976-77 ★ | ALL | 82 | 37 | 57.9 | 70.1 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 13.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 26.2 | |
| 1977-78 | ALL | 62 | 37 | 55.0 | 78.3 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 12.9 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 25.8 | |
| 1978-79 | ALL | 80 | 40 | 57.7 | 73.6 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 12.8 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 23.8 | |
| 1979-80 ★ | ALL | 82 | 38 | 60.4 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 24.8 |
| 1980-81 | ALL | 80 | 37 | 57.4 | 0.0 | 76.6 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 10.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 26.2 |
| 1981-82 | ALL | 76 | 35 | 57.9 | 0.0 | 70.6 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 23.9 |
| 1982-83 | ALL | 79 | 32 | 58.8 | 0.0 | 74.9 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 21.8 |
| 1983-84 | ALL | 80 | 33 | 57.8 | 0.0 | 72.3 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 21.5 |
| 1984-85 | ALL | 79 | 33 | 59.9 | 0.0 | 73.2 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.0 |
| 1985-86 | ALL | 79 | 33 | 56.4 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 23.4 |
| 1986-87 | ALL | 78 | 31 | 56.4 | 33.3 | 71.4 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 17.5 |
| 1987-88 | ALL | 80 | 29 | 53.2 | 0.0 | 76.2 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 14.6 |
| 1988-89 | ALL | 74 | 23 | 47.5 | 0.0 | 73.9 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.1 |
| Total | 1560 | 37 | 55.9 | 5.6 | 72.1 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 11.2 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 24.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
