Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, has overcome numerous obstacles on his path to the top of the all-time scoring list. Nobody can dare claim his accomplishments came from privilege.
Kareem’s life is full of versatility, dynamism, and revolution as he shared his experience with phenomena like Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, etc. He was a shining star among NBA professionals, raising a voice for human rights, social freedom, and security back in the dark days of the USA’s history.
His philosophy and ideology reflect his mental strength and strong moral and ethical points. He kept his posture straight and encouraged the younger generation to do the same.
What did Kareem Abdul Jabbar have to say about standing up to inequality?
In an interview with The Daily Show, the six-time NBA season MVP was asked what advice he would give to those who are afraid of being disconnected, not getting paid, or being blackballed. The 7.2-footer replied, “I would have to tell them that they have to have the courage to stand up for something that is important to them.”
From his enormously struggling experience, Abdul Jabbar also mentioned the aftermath of holding the tongue for so long. He said, “Yeah, you can, avoid having to make that tough choice, but at a certain point, there’s no place to hide. You either have to stand up for what’s right, or go along with the program that, uh… that diminishes you.”
The 19-time NBA all-star also reflects racial inequality and its impact on people from all walks of life. The legend isn’t willing to compromise his rights or philosophy for someone else’s monetary profit.
“As a black American, I can’t along with a program that diminishes me,” Abdul Jabbar added. “I-I have to stand up for what’s right, so, uh, I’m encouraging kids and all young people that read this to stand up for what they believe in and, uh, what they see, uh, that they can do to make America a better place.”
The 70-year-old warrior set an instant example by criticizing and labeling then-President Donald Trump as ‘wrong.’ It appeared he wasn’t afraid of being bullied into falling in line. Once a rebel, always a rebel.
The six-time NBA champion also didn’t take any scraps from his haters back in 1971 for converting to Islam and shut them up with numerous rare feats like the NBA’s 35th, 50th, and 75th-anniversary teams; the league’s third-leading all-time rebounder and blocker; a two-time NBA Finals MVP; two NBA scoring titles; four NBA rebounding titles; and ten All-NBA first team honors.
