Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons in which sport?
"The name controversy was periodically spoofed on postgame recaps, such as in 1996 when Chris Berman of ESPN called an Abdul-Jabbar touchdown rush with an imitation of Marv Albert, who was famous for announcing basketball as well as football games. The controversy eventually led to the basketball player suing the football player in 1997. The lawsuit led to the football player changing his legal name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar. Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, previously Karim Abdul-Jabbar (born Sharmon Shah on June 28, 1974), is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the 3rd round (80th overall) of the"
"teamed up with legendary Point guard Oscar Robertson, Alcindor, who had converted to Islam, changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1975, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and, after the arrival of Point guard Magic Johnson in 1980, formed part of a new Lakers dynasty that won five NBA titles (1980, '82, '85, '87, '88). In addition, Abdul-Jabbar won six regular-season MVP awards (1971, '72, '74, '76, '77, '80). At 7'2"" (2.18 m), 235 pounds (106 kg), he lacked the strength of Chamberlain in his prime, but had a longer wingspan and ultimately proved more durable, adhering"
"games involving Lew Alcindor (better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who played for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins from 1965 to 1969. Silva joined the NFL in 1968 as a line judge on legendary referee Jim Tunney's officiating crew and was promoted to referee in 1969. The highlight of Silva's career was being selected as referee for Super Bowl XIV between the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980. He would retire following the 1988 NFL season. Silva and Jack Fette, another NFL official, sued the league for age discrimination in 1992. They accused the NFL of"
"shots a game. After the pounding he endured early in his career, his rebounding average fell to between six or eight a game in his latter years. As a teammate, Abdul-Jabbar exuded natural leadership and was affectionately called ""Cap"" or ""Captain"" by his colleagues. He had an even temperament, which Riley said made him coachable. A strict fitness regime made him one of the most durable players of all time. In the NBA, his 20 seasons and 1,560 games are performances surpassed only by former Celtics' center Robert Parish. Abdul-Jabbar was well known for his trademark ""skyhook"", a hook shot"
"1975 and immediately traded with Brian Winters, David Meyers and Elmore Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bridgeman went on to have a solid 12-year NBA career, spent mostly with the Bucks, and he scored 11,517 total points. Although he was a sixth man for most of his career, he averaged double figures in scoring for nine consecutive seasons. He played in 711 games for the Bucks, still the most in franchise history, although he started only 105 times. During the off-seasons of his playing career, Bridgeman used to work and learn the business model of Wendy's fast"
"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton, with a total of 2,542. He currently holds the ninth highest total of career blocked shots, having been passed on the list by Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal. During his playing career, Rollins was given the nickname ""The Intimidator"". In 1983, as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, playing in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, he got into a fight with Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics. In retaliation for allegedly being called a sissy, Rollins elbowed Ainge in the face. Ainge subsequently tackled Rollins to the"
"City sports section when he was 14. By the end of his high school career, he was a four-time ""Parade"" All-American, a feat not accomplished since Lew Alcindor (changed name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and the first player to be named All-City four times. He was a McDonald's All-American, was named New York State Mr. Basketball by the New York State Coaches Organization, and named High School Basketball Player of the Year by Gatorade, the New York State Sportswriters Association, ""Parade"", Naismith, and ""USA Today"" Despite his coach, Jack Curran, benching him for the first quarter of all of his games"
"first four games are the most in team history—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 146 in 1970–71. Coming into the sixth game of the season, he had 175 points, 53 rebounds and 28 assists, the best start by a player in NBA history through his first five games. On November 18, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 24 points in a 111–79 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On December 4, he scored 40 points in a 111–100 loss to the Celtics. It was his third 40-point game of the season. On January 6, 2018, he recorded 34 points, 12"
"in 2013 said, ""In terms of players all-time, Kareem is still the number one guy. He's the guy you gotta start your franchise with."" In 2015, ESPN named Abdul-Jabbar the best center in NBA history, and ranked him No. 2 behind Michael Jordan among the greatest NBA players ever. While Jordan's shots were enthralling and considered unfathomable, Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook appeared automatic, and he himself called the shot ""unsexy"". Playing in Los Angeles facilitated Abdul-Jabbar's trying his hand at acting. He made his film debut in Bruce Lee's 1972 film ""Game of Death"", in which his character Hakim fights Billy Lo"
"the few players who ever blocked a ""skyhook"" shot by Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Although he possessed the athletic and leaping ability, he never developed his offensive game, finishing his career with a 6.7 points average in 47 games. In 2017, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame. Pearson was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the twelfth round (298th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft, despite never playing a down of college football, after the team was impressed with his speed and athleticism. He was first tried at defensive back and"
"in only their third year of existence, greatly helped by drafting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969 draft and acquiring Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals before the 1970-71 season began. The Chicago Fire won MLS Cup in 1998 in just their first year of existence in Major League Soccer. In 2011, the Portland Timbers started their MLS franchise, and they won the MLS Cup in 2015. The Florida Panthers made the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 3rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL) even though, like MLB, the league then had no salary cap. The NHL's Vegas Golden"
"he was stronger shooting the skyhook with his right hand than he was with his left. According to Abdul-Jabbar, he learned the move in fifth grade after practicing with the Mikan Drill and soon learned to value it, as it was ""the only shot I could use that didn't get smashed back in my face"". Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points and won a league-record six MVP awards. He earned six championship rings, two Finals MVP awards, fifteen NBA First or Second Teams, a record nineteen NBA All-Star call-ups and averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6"
"withstand the strain of playing the highly physical center position into his early 40s. While in Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility, and was notable for his physical fitness regimen. He says, ""There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga."" In 1983, Abdul-Jabbar's house burned down. Many of his belongings, including his beloved jazz LP collection of about 3,000 albums, were destroyed. Many Lakers fans sent and brought him albums, which he found uplifting. On June 28, 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was 42 years old when announced that he"
"the Vancouver Grizzlies for five seasons. He was traded by the Grizzlies in 2001 and then played for the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers before joining his last team, the Sacramento Kings. Nicknamed ""Reef"", Abdur-Rahim was named an NBA All-Star in the 2001–02 season. He also played on the United States men's national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Prior to joining the Kings, despite the fact that he achieved solid statistics throughout his career, Abdur-Rahim shared the NBA record for most number of games played without making a playoff appearance. Following persistent"
"the through the playoffs defeating Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix. In eighth trip to the NBA Finals in 10 years, they once again faced the Detroit Pistons. Hampered by injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson, the Lakers were swept by Detroit. Following the 1989 Finals, on June 28, 1989, after 20 professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. The Lakers still cruised through the Pacific Division, winning their ninth consecutive division crown with a 63–19 record. However, after beating the Rockets in the first round, they lost four games to one in the second round of the playoffs to the Suns."
"and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Davis spent his first eleven seasons with the Suns before joining the Denver Nuggets as the league's second unrestricted free agent in 1988. He left as the Suns' all-time leading scorer (15,666 points), and had his #6 jersey retired by the franchise in 1994. 1977–78 Phoenix Suns season The 1977–78 Phoenix Suns season was the tenth season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The team finished second in a Pacific division that did not have a team finish below .500, as the Suns returned to the playoffs for the third time in franchise history."
"win the Pacific Division. They made the playoffs but managed just one win against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals. Following the season, West retired due to contract disagreements with Cooke, and filed a suit for unpaid back wages. After missing the playoffs in the 1974–75 season, the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won three league MVP's by that time. Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles. He was traded for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers. Abdul-Jabbar had his fourth MVP season in 1975–76, leading the league in"
"in Chicago had been close. Kareem was just as determined as Havlicek. Milwaukee was favored in the NBA Finals, with Cowens looking up at the 7' 2 Abdul-Jabbar. But the Boston center conceded nothing, averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds in courageous play. The series would be a classic, going the full seven games. Kareem got some solid help in the shooting of Bobby Dandridge and the passing of 35-year-old wore-out Oscar Robertson. But the Celtics hung tough, even after losing 102–101 in a legendary double-overtime affair at Boston Garden that saw Abdul-Jabbar throw in a 15-foot hook shot to"
"Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, previously Karim Abdul-Jabbar (born Sharmon Shah on June 28, 1974), is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the 3rd round (80th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played in college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts. Born in Los Angeles, California, he played for the UCLA Bruins from 1992 to 1995 under head coach Terry Donahue. He set the school record for rushing yards in a season and was named team MVP in consecutive years"
"Royals, themselves in six games, in the World Series. The Eagles lost Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders in January 1981. Of note, this marked the first of the ten NBA Finals played in the 1980s, all of which featured either the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers (three Finals featured both teams). Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, playing on a mission and finally with an effective supporting cast around him, scored 33 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and had six blocks and five assists on the way to"
"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a 12-foot shot over Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz 1 to surpass Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 31,421 points. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in the first round, Dallas Mavericks in the second, and the Phoenix Suns in the 1984 Western Conference Finals in order to advance to what is called the ""greatest NBA Finals in history"", against Larry Bird's formidable, 62–20 Boston Celtics. The Lakers' early step on the green team in the Championship caused Bird to label teammates ""sissies"". The words inspired the Celtics, and"
"his first scoring title (31.7 ppg). He also led the league in total points, with 2,596. In the playoffs, the Bucks went 12–2 (including a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals), and won the championship, while Alcindor was named Finals MVP. On May 1, 1971, the day after the Bucks won the NBA championship, he adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (, ""Karīm Abd al-Jabbār""), its translation roughly ""generous/noble (Kareem), servant of (Abdul) the mighty/stern one (Jabbar) [i.e., of God]"". He had converted to Islam while at UCLA. Abdul-Jabbar remained a dominant force for the Bucks."
"match for the younger Pistons and were swept in four games, ending Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 20-year career. The Pistons' Finals appearance marked the first time since the American League baseball team Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series that a major professional sports team from Detroit competed for a championship. The Pistons' appearance started a run of at least one Detroit sports team competing for a championship six times within ten years, starting with the Pistons from 1988–90 and ending with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League competing in the 1995, 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, in"
"defeating Boston in 1987, and Detroit in 1988. The Lakers lost to the Pistons in a four-game sweep in his final season. At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most games played by a single player in the NBA; this would later be broken by Robert Parish. He also was the all-time record holder for most points (38,387), most field goals made (15,837), and most minutes played (57,446). Since 2005, Abdul-Jabbar has served as a special assistant coach for the Lakers. He had been interested in coaching since his retirement, and given the influence that he"
"well. Following the series, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement at 42, after 20 years with the NBA. Pistons' guard Joe Dumars was named MVP for the series. Prior to the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Golden State Warriors, and the 2014 NBA Finals when the San Antonio Spurs bested the Miami Heat, the Pistons were the last Finals champion to have been runner-up to the same opponent the previous season as they did in the 1988 Finals. Before the season began, the Pistons moved from the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to the brand-new The Palace in"
"When the season ended, Abdul-Jabbar made the stunning announcement that he no longer wished to play for the Bucks, stating that he needed the big city, requesting a trade to either Los Angeles or New York City. The front office was unable to convince him otherwise and on June 16, 1975, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters and David Meyers. The trade triggered a series of events that led to a change in the team's ownership. The Bucks' largest stockholder, cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald, opposed the trade"
"against the Knicks. This would also prove to be Laker great Jerry West's only NBA title. The following year, the Lakers again faced the Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals and lost. They would not make it to the Finals again in this decade, but in 1975 they acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Celtics won the NBA Finals in 1974, and won again in 1976, under the leadership of coach Tom Heinsohn and players Dave Cowens, Paul Silas and Jo Jo White. Neither team won another championship until the 1980s. However, the foundation for the renewed Celtics–Lakers rivalry of the 1980s"
"game as a professional, however, Benson elbowed Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the abdomen, and Abdul-Jabbar broke Benson's jaw with a retaliatory punch. Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand in the incident and was out for two months; otherwise, he could have potentially been suspended by the NBA. Benson never quite lived up to the potential of a number one NBA draft pick. Twice in his career, he was traded for a player that helped his former team get ""over the hump"" and contend for an NBA title. In 1980, the Bucks traded him to the Detroit Pistons for Bob"
"over 50 games. Two of them, Milwaukee and Boston cast strong shadows all season long, each led by powerful individual forces determined to win. Milwaukee won a league-high 59 of 82 NBA games, led again by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem had not seen the NBA Finals since the controversial changing of his name, but now had no Wilt Chamberlain to prevent his return. He averaged 27 points per game, making more field goals, 948, than any player in the league. The Bucks were again the top shooting team in the NBA and led in average margin of points over opponents"
"to claim their first NBA title since 1954 and their first since moving to Los Angeles. The Lakers would fall to the Knicks in the Finals in 1973, and Chamberlain, who had set a record for field-goal percentage that year, making 72.7% of his shots, announced his retirement. West followed suit a year after that and the Lakers bottomed out in 1975, finishing 30–52 and failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wanted out of Milwaukee, and the Lakers acquired him in a trade. His first year in Los"
"assists and 2.6 blocks per game. He is ranked as the NBA's third leading all-time rebounder (17,440). He is also the third all-time in registered blocks (3,189), which is even more impressive because this stat had not been recorded until the fourth year of his career (1974). Abdul-Jabbar combined dominance during his career peak with the longevity and sustained excellence of his later years. After claiming his sixth and final MVP in 1980, he continued to average above 20 points in the following six seasons, including 23 points per game in his 17th season at age 38. He made the"
"last 30-minute NBA championship documentary, recapping the 1980 NBA Playoffs. Later championship documentaries on NBA Entertainment will have 60 minutes of running time. 1980 NBA Finals The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979–80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP, but midway through Game 5, the Lakers center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the fourth quarter"
"the chance to play alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the team's 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center who became the leading scorer in NBA history. Despite Abdul-Jabbar's dominance, he had failed to win a championship with the Lakers, and Johnson was expected to help them achieve that goal. Lakers coach Jack McKinney had the rookie Johnson, who some analysts thought should play forward, be a point guard, even though incumbent Norm Nixon was already one of the best in the league. Johnson averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game for the season, was selected to the NBA All-Rookie"