I have always appreciated the fact that you seek to tell the "unknown" stories in African-American history-stories that should be told, but are more often ignored.
Do you have any plans to explore the lives of African Americans living in slavery on Native American reservations that continued until well after the close of the Civil War?
I was thrilled to see your video reply to my question! I wanted to correct my statement. Bruce would have turned 68 in November. I always remember July because that was the month of his passing-this year will mark the 35th anniversary of that tragic event.
However, on the brighter side, I thank you for your recommendation of Yoga to maintain and prolong one's active life. I will definitely get started doing it soon.
I can only imagine what would have happened had you gotten Bruce started doing Yoga-he would immediately have had to have been the MOST flexible, the MOST fit...he would have relocated his battle with you from the Tower to the yoga mat!
Whom can outstretch whom? :)
Do you think he would have ended up opening his own yoga school, a la the Chinatown Jun Fan school, complete with the painted windows?
I'm a 61 yr old retired high school Principal and coach from St. Louis
Being in your same age group and a "not good enough" baller to play at my dream school (UCLA, like my hero Jackie Robinson) I've always admired you since your early days at Power Memorial.
I am amazed at how so often my thinking parallels yours.
Some random thoughts:
You were denied your rightful post-career aspirations because you weren't always smiling like Magic (not to denigrate him, but this would only happen to a black man in our time)
Trivia question- in one minute, name the great trumpeters who played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Doesn't Sandy Amoros still have a special place in your heart?
I would love to have that famous photo of you, Jim Brown and Bill Russell showing support fo Ali at that famous press conference
Many possibly great contributors to the world are being overlooked because they are recovering addicts and though many strides have been made, society still has a long way to go.
My name is Seth you know my cousin Alyssa. She works in your office. My question is what had inspired you to work your hardest or push your self on the court?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 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 undefensible skyhook, dominated the NBA for 20 years, first with the Milwaukee Bucks then with the Los Angeles Lakers. Before that he was the star of the UCLA Bruins teams that won three consecutive NCAA championships. Kareem was the NBA's MVP six times, a 19-time all-star and set the NBA all-time records in nine categories. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record that may never be broken.
Since retiring as a player in 1989, Kareem has balanced his love of basketball with his love of
history. In 2002 he led a USBL team, the Oklahoma Storm, to a championship. Since 2005, he has
been the special assistant coach for the Lakers, working with Andrew Bynum.
Kareem also remains intellectually active, authoring six bestselling history books intended to popularize the contributions of African-Americans to American culture and history. His books include "Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement"; "Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes"; "A Season on the Reservation," which chronicles his time teaching basketball and history on an Apache Indian reservation in White River, Ariz.; and the current New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller, "On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance."
His audio adaptation, "On the Shoulders of Giants: My Audio & Musical Journey through the Harlem Renaissance," is a four-volume compilation read by Bob Costas, Avery Brooks, Jesse L. Martin, and Stanley Crouch, and features private and fascinating conversations with dozens of icons, including Coach John Wooden, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Angelou, Quincy Jones and Billy Crystal.
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Thanks, Kareem
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Kareem,
Really enjoy the format in which you answered questions.
You should give Tai-Chi and Ch'i-Gung a shot. They have the benefits of yoga, but with greater movement.
Posted by: Jon K. | February 27, 2008 at 02:55 PM
Kareem,
Question: What are your four greatest joys in life and why?
Posted by: Jon K. | February 27, 2008 at 02:56 PM
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar,
I have always appreciated the fact that you seek to tell the "unknown" stories in African-American history-stories that should be told, but are more often ignored.
Do you have any plans to explore the lives of African Americans living in slavery on Native American reservations that continued until well after the close of the Civil War?
Posted by: David Eckels | February 29, 2008 at 07:45 PM
Kareem:
I was thrilled to see your video reply to my question! I wanted to correct my statement. Bruce would have turned 68 in November. I always remember July because that was the month of his passing-this year will mark the 35th anniversary of that tragic event.
However, on the brighter side, I thank you for your recommendation of Yoga to maintain and prolong one's active life. I will definitely get started doing it soon.
I can only imagine what would have happened had you gotten Bruce started doing Yoga-he would immediately have had to have been the MOST flexible, the MOST fit...he would have relocated his battle with you from the Tower to the yoga mat!
Whom can outstretch whom? :)
Do you think he would have ended up opening his own yoga school, a la the Chinatown Jun Fan school, complete with the painted windows?
Best to you always, sir
Miles
Posted by: Miles | March 01, 2008 at 10:08 AM
I'm a 61 yr old retired high school Principal and coach from St. Louis
Being in your same age group and a "not good enough" baller to play at my dream school (UCLA, like my hero Jackie Robinson) I've always admired you since your early days at Power Memorial.
I am amazed at how so often my thinking parallels yours.
Some random thoughts:
You were denied your rightful post-career aspirations because you weren't always smiling like Magic (not to denigrate him, but this would only happen to a black man in our time)
Trivia question- in one minute, name the great trumpeters who played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
Doesn't Sandy Amoros still have a special place in your heart?
I would love to have that famous photo of you, Jim Brown and Bill Russell showing support fo Ali at that famous press conference
Many possibly great contributors to the world are being overlooked because they are recovering addicts and though many strides have been made, society still has a long way to go.
Posted by: Alvin Smith | March 05, 2008 at 11:49 AM
hey kareem
My name is Seth you know my cousin Alyssa. She works in your office. My question is what had inspired you to work your hardest or push your self on the court?
Posted by: Seth Waddell | March 08, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Kareem.
Like know who were most important people in your life time from your childhood to your present day? Thank You!
Edward Zamudio
Posted by: Edward Zamudio | March 09, 2008 at 10:01 AM