Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Timeline

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 42

1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in Harlem, New York City, to Ferdinand Sr. (a transit police officer and jazz musician) and Cora Lillian.
1950 Prodigious growth By age nine Alcindor has already reached 5 feet 8 inches; by eighth grade he stands 6 feet 8 and can dunk a basketball — a physical gift that will define his destiny.
1960 Enters Power Memorial Academy Alcindor enrolls at Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan, a Catholic high school where he will become the most dominant prep player in the country.
1964 Power Memorial 71-game winning streak Alcindor leads Power Memorial on a 71-game winning streak spanning two seasons, winning back-to-back national championships and earning the Mr. Basketball USA award.
1965 Witnesses aftermath of Harlem race riots As a teenager, Alcindor witnesses the aftermath of the 1964 Harlem riot and becomes deeply politicised, later writing that the experience shaped his lifelong commitment to civil rights.
1966 Enrolls at UCLA under John Wooden Alcindor chooses UCLA over 200 scholarship offers, joining legendary coach John Wooden. In his first varsity game he scores a school-record 56 points.
1967 First NCAA championship with UCLA UCLA wins the NCAA title — the first of three consecutive national championships Alcindor will lead them to — and he is named the tournament Most Outstanding Player.
1967 – 1968 Trains with Bruce Lee Alcindor seeks out martial artist Bruce Lee in Los Angeles to sharpen his body and mind through Jeet Kune Do. The two become close friends, exchanging books on Islam, imperialism and philosophy; the friendship shapes Alcindor intellectually and spiritually.
1968 Boycotts the Mexico City Olympics Alcindor declines an invitation to represent the United States at the Mexico City Olympics, joining Harry Edwards' Olympic Project for Human Rights in protest against racial injustice in America — a defining act of athlete activism.
1968 Second straight NCAA title UCLA wins its second consecutive national championship; Alcindor is again named tournament Most Outstanding Player.
1969 Third straight NCAA championship UCLA completes a third consecutive national title. Alcindor finishes his UCLA career averaging 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds, the greatest college career of its era.
1969 Drafted first overall by Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks select Alcindor with the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. He signs for $1.4 million over five years — then the richest contract in NBA history.
1970 NBA Rookie of the Year Alcindor wins the NBA Rookie of the Year award, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds — among the most dominant debut seasons in league history.
1971 Converts to Islam; becomes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar After years of private study, Alcindor publicly converts to Sunni Islam and adopts the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — meaning "noble, powerful servant." The name change is controversial but he considers it essential to his identity.
1971 Milwaukee Bucks win first NBA championship Alcindor leads the Bucks to the NBA Finals and the franchise's first championship, defeating the Baltimore Bullets 4-0. He wins the first of six MVP awards.
1972 Second NBA MVP award Abdul-Jabbar wins his second consecutive MVP award, dominating the league with his unstoppable skyhook shot — a high-arc release developed partly in response to the NCAA ban on the dunk.
1973 Hanafi massacre at donated home Abdul-Jabbar had donated a Washington DC home to the Hanafi Muslim community; on 18 January 1973, Nation of Islam assailants kill seven people there including children. The tragedy deepens his resolve but haunts him personally.
1974 Third NBA MVP award Abdul-Jabbar wins his third MVP award and leads the Bucks to the Finals, where they fall to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
1975 Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers Abdul-Jabbar requests a trade from Milwaukee — "I exist in Milwaukee," he famously said — and is dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will spend the greatest years of his career.
1977 Punches Kent Benson; breaks own hand In the season opener Abdul-Jabbar punches rookie Kent Benson in retaliation for an elbow to the ribs, breaking his own hand and missing 20 games. The incident later becomes one of basketball folklore's most famous overreactions.
1978 Appears in Bruce Lee film "Game of Death" After Bruce Lee dies in 1973 before completing the film, "Game of Death" is released using archival footage. Abdul-Jabbar, who had shot his scenes earlier, appears as the final opponent in a memorable fight sequence.
1980 Magic Johnson arrives; first Lakers championship Rookie Magic Johnson joins Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles, beginning the Showtime era. The Lakers win the NBA championship; when Abdul-Jabbar misses Game 6 with an ankle injury, the 20-year-old Magic starts at center and scores 42 points.
1980 Sixth and final MVP award Abdul-Jabbar wins his record sixth NBA MVP award — a record that still stands — at age 33, proving his excellence transcends any single era.
1982 Second Lakers championship The Lakers defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games for a second title; Abdul-Jabbar wins his second Finals MVP award.
1983 House fire destroys Bel Air mansion An electrical fire destroys 90% of Abdul-Jabbar's Bel Air home, taking with it his basketball trophies, childhood photos, and a priceless collection of jazz records and Islamic art. His girlfriend and infant son escape through a window.
1984 Bird and the Celtics deny a sixth ring The Lakers fall to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in seven games — a bitter defeat that motivates the team for years.
1985 Third Lakers championship — defeats the Celtics The Lakers beat the Celtics in six games, reversing 1984. Abdul-Jabbar, aged 38, wins the Finals MVP — his second — described by Pat Riley as the finest individual performance he ever coached.
1987 Fourth Lakers championship The Lakers beat the Boston Celtics again in six games for a fourth title; Abdul-Jabbar at 40 remains the keystone of one of the greatest dynasties in basketball history.
1988 Fifth and final Lakers championship The Lakers repeat as champions — the first repeat since the 1969 Celtics — defeating the Detroit Pistons. Abdul-Jabbar, now 41, wins his sixth and final ring.
1989 Farewell season; retires as NBA all-time leading scorer In his final season Abdul-Jabbar tours all 29 NBA arenas to standing ovations, retiring at 42 with 38,387 career points, 1,560 games, 57,446 minutes — nine NBA records, most of which still stand.
1995 Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Abdul-Jabbar is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
1996 Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History The NBA selects Abdul-Jabbar as one of its 50 Greatest Players as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
2002 Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia Abdul-Jabbar is diagnosed with a form of blood cancer. He goes public with the diagnosis in 2009, becoming an advocate for cancer awareness and crediting medication with managing the disease effectively.
2005 – 2011 Assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers Abdul-Jabbar serves as an assistant coach under Phil Jackson with the Lakers, contributing to two more NBA championships (2009, 2010) as a coach.
2008 Named greatest college player of all time ESPN names Abdul-Jabbar the greatest player in college basketball history, honouring his three consecutive NCAA titles and revolutionary impact on the college game.
2012 Publishes memoir "Becoming Kareem" Abdul-Jabbar publishes the first of several acclaimed books, establishing himself as one of the most thoughtful and prolific author-athletes in American history.
2016 Named US Global Cultural Ambassador President Barack Obama appoints Abdul-Jabbar as a US Global Cultural Ambassador, recognising his decades of activism and cross-cultural outreach.
2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom President Barack Obama awards Abdul-Jabbar the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour.
2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award established The NBA creates the annual Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award in his honour, recognising the player who best embodies his values of activism and community leadership.
2022 LeBron James breaks his all-time scoring record On 7 February 2023, LeBron James surpasses Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA all-time leading scorer. Abdul-Jabbar attends the game and embraces James warmly, calling it a "magical moment" and a passing of the torch.
2025 Publishes "We All Want to Change the World" At 78, Abdul-Jabbar publishes a new memoir tracing his journey through social justice movements from the 1960s to the present, cementing his legacy as one of sport and culture's most enduring voices.
2026 Living legacy at 79 At 79, Abdul-Jabbar remains active as a writer, columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, and social justice advocate — one of the most intellectually engaged and outspoken figures in American public life.