Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Life and Career
The Story of One of the Greatest Basketball Players Ever
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most iconic names in the history of basketball, and widely regarded as a Top 10 or even Top 5 player of all time. In this article, we’re going to look at the life and story of Kareem both on and off the court to gain some appreciation for this legend among legends.
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr was born in 1947 in Harlem, New York City. He grew up in Upper Manhattan in the Dykman Street Projects (which, by the way, is named after the Dykman family who owned 250 acres of farmland in the area back in the day. And the character Pete Campbell from the TV series “Mad Man” is a descendant of this family. There’s some unnecessary but interesting trivia for ya).
By the time he was 9 years old, he was already 5’8”, and by 8th grade he was 6’8” and could slam dunk.
As a high school student, Alcindor was already recognized as a basketball force to be reckoned with. He led his team to three straight New City City Catholic school championships, with an overall record of 79 and 2, including an incredible 71-game winning streak…
