There’s a new documentary about Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, and six-time MVP, premiering Tuesday on HBO. “Kareem: Minority of One” highlights the life and work of Abdul-Jabbar.
Update: new video added Magic Johnson and Pat Riley discuss Abdul-Jabbar ’s impact on the game.
Interviewees include former Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jerry West; NBA greats Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes and Julius Erving; celebrities Arsenio Hall, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock and Billy Crystal; social commentators Dr. Richard Lapchick and Dr. Cornel West.
Here’s a clip embedded below from YouTube:
After winning the NBA championship in 1971, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, citing his family’s lineage from slavery and the importance of Islamic tradition during an extremely turbulent time in American history.
In 1974, he requested a trade to a more diverse market and went to the Los Angeles Lakers, where the future NBA Hall of Famer became world-renowned, later pairing with Magic Johnson, Jr., the first overall draft pick in 1979. During the ensuing era, the Lakers became one of the best-known, most-glamorous teams in NBA history, with Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers winning five of their eight appearances in the NBA Finals.
Abdul-Jabbar has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, often lampooning his own persona, including memorable cameos in “Airplane!” and “Game of Death,” Bruce Lee’s final film. He has also written 11 books, many of them New York Times bestsellers; his latest book, “Mycroft Holmes,” is his first novel and is published by Titan Books. In Jan. 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appointed him a Cultural Ambassador for the United States. He currently serves as a regular contributing columnist for TIME magazine.
Abdul-Jabbar’s personal journey dovetails with an explosive period in American history.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.