Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a former professional NBA player, author, and social justice activist. Born as Lewis “Lew” Alcindor in 1947 in Harlem, New York, he was raised in Manhattan, where he attended Power Memorial Catholic School. As an undergraduate, he attended the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) as a college athlete. While he was in college, he played for UCLA’s freshman and varsity teams, winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship game three years in a row. His coach, John Wooden, was a significant personal and professional influence in Abdul-Jabbar’s life, and he continued to be his close friend for decades afterward. During this period of his life, Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam, which prompted his name change from Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Even as a college player, Abdul-Jabbar’s significant talent was already generating attention in the press, and he gained a fan following. Upon his graduation from college in 1969, he signed with the newly established NBA team, the Milwaukee Bucks. He soon helped the team win the 1971 NBA Finals, the highest prize in the NBA, despite the team only being three years old. In 1975, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he won five more NBA championships with that team over his 14-season career with them.