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When basketball enthusiasts discuss the greatest players in NBA history, one name consistently rises to the top: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There hasn’t been any other professional basketball giant like Abdul-Jabbar in over two decades of basketball. With individual and jointly accumulated achievements, he remains a legend in the field of football.
Early Years: Humble Beginnings to Stardom
Raised in MVP, Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., on April 16, 1947, in New York City. Aging 6-8 as a freshman, he rewrote the record book in high school hoops at Power Memorial Academy in New York City which boasted of a record 71 consecutive victories. By the time of his triumph he was called “The Tower from Power”.
He took his abilities to UCLA where he played under the then legendary coach, John Wooden. During his college years at UCLA, Aljibawor’s performance was incendiary. He took his Bruins to win three straight NCAA titles in 1967–1969 and was awarded the NCAA Player of the Year, twice. His impact in college was so profound that they later prohibited dunking in 1967 a rule many knew as the ‘Lew Alcindor Rule’.
Transition to the NBA: The Birth of a Legend
Born on January 16, 1959, in Greenwich, Connecticut, Abdul-Jabbar entered the NBA direct-from-college when the Milwaukee Bucks selected him in this year in the NBA’s inaugural draft. His first season in the league was amazing as he scored an average of 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game this was due
