Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Author Photo

Biography of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis ’Lew’ Alcindor on April 16, 1947) is considered by many fans and sportswriters to be the greatest basketball player of all time. The 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center, famous for his indefensible skyhook, also dominated the NBA for 20 years. He not only captured the NBA’s MVP six times, was a 19-time All-Star, and set the NBA all-time records in nine categories ’ he also remains the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer (38,387 points), a record that may never be broken.

But as Kareem himself says, ’I can do more than shoot a ball through a hoop.’ And indeed he can. A lifelong passion for history led to his authoring six best-selling books on various historical subjects. His knowledge and love of jazz birthed not only an audio book (based on one of his NY Times best-selling hardcover, On the Shoulders of Giants) but an upcoming documentary that features a myriad celebrities, from Samuel L. Jackson and Billy Crystal to Quincy Jones and Maya Angelou. Kareem is also executive producing an exciting feature film in development based on the greatest basketball team you’ve never heard of: The Harlem Rens, the first professional champions of professional basketball. Beyond that, Kareem is very involved in ’giving back’ and participates in numerous charities, especially ones that promote cancer.

Kareem has in-depth knowledge of many subjects ranging from sports to history to jazz to film. He grew up under the two biggest media spotlights in the world (NY & LA) during the Civil Rights era ’ as quite literally the most visible black man in the country. This has given Kareem a unique perspective on America’s political and social landscape, which makes him a dynamic and always thought-provoking speaker.

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15 Books by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar