Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in both Bucks and NBA history, has reprised his role from the slapstick comedy “Airplane!” Abdul-Jabbar, who you know best as a Los Angeles Laker, did actually help the Bucks to their only NBA title in 1971. I know, it’s very difficult to fathom that today given what the Bucks as a franchise has become, but they did actually win a NBA Championship 43 years ago, with Kareem leading the way.
Abdul-Jabbar, along with “Airplane!” co-star Robert Hays and directors David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, recently joined forces with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism on its 2014 ad campaign.
Airplane! hit the theaters 34 years ago and this video takes us back inside the cockpit with pilots Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ted Striker (Hays) as they take the plane perhaps too close to some of Wisconsin’s wilderness below. Both Zucker brothers were born and raised in Shorewood, Wisconsin. The new spot debuted at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism this morning.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN, NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)