The Career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Lew Alcindor

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor was born in Harlem, New York on April 16, 1947. He was known as Lew Alcindor in the world of basketball until 1971, when the US player decided to change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The name change was the result of his Islamic faith which arose from reading, specifically, thanks to the discovery of Malcolm X, who read an autobiography that opened his mind to the Islamic religion.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar measured 2.18 meters tall with average weight of 102 kilos. He got used to play throughout his career with the number 33 on the back. He successfully completed his career at 42 years of age having achieved the greatest possible success in the best basketball league in the world, the NBA.

Abdul-Jabbar struck a total of 38,387 points in his career, while achieving 17,440 rebounds and execute 3189 blocks. In his career, he managed to show a new way to dunk called Skyhook.

The Beginnings in Basketball

Since very little, Lewis Alcindor aimed to be a big basketball player among the elite of his country. The fact that a teenager would measure more than two meters and triumph in both University and High School did foresee that something big was going to happen in basketball. The young New Yorker dazzled at school and broke records in his three years as a college player, where he graduated in History.

One of the most curious anecdotes that occurred during one of the games played by the team of Alcindor was the dispute of the first televised college game, which drew nearly 53,000 spectators in the stadium. Subsequently, this match was called ‘The Match of the Century’ by the importance assumed. To find the best indoor basketballs in order to play like such a pro, go to this link.

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Professional Success

He joined NBA in 1969 chosen by Milwaukee Bucks. There was a difficult task. He must get up by far the results of a team that, until then, had not shown anything in the NBA. In addition, he also had to demonstrate that enormous quality that he demonstrate during his college career and he did it successfully. He showed that a great player stands tall on any ground and team, even one with poor results and he also proved that his quality was not only large, but was also extreme. In this way, he easily won prize for the best Rookie of the Year, amply showing his potential. The following season, with the arrival of new quality players to the team from Milwaukee, he got even more help up the team, achieving for the first time, a prize of MVP of the season and the top scorer award. That was his last season as Lew Alcindor, the following year he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.