KA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Actor, Producer, WriterBorn April 17, 1947 (79 years)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. (born April 16, 1947) in New York City, grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Harlem in a family of Trinidadian descent, raised in the Catholic tradition and imbued with values such as honor and dignity. An only child, he was quickly marked by his exceptional height: from elementary school onward, he played with the tallest kids, and at fourteen, already over two meters (6'7"), he was able to dunk. His adolescence was punctuated by episodes of social confrontation and learning the art of street basketball, which forged his competitive spirit.
Abdul-Jabbar distinguished himself early on at Power Memorial Academy, where he set records for points and rebounds, leading his team to 71 consecutive victories and three New York State high school championships. This period is unanimously recognized as one of the greatest high school basketball careers in history. In 1965, he entered UCLA under the tutelage of John Wooden and dominated the sport, winning three consecutive NCAA titles from 1967 to 1969 and being named the tournament MVP each time. His impact on the game was so significant that the NCAA temporarily banned the dunk during his time there.
In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar was the first overall pick in the NBA draft and joined the Milwaukee Bucks. In his first season, he distinguished himself with impressive statistics (28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1971, he led the Bucks to the NBA title—the franchise's only championship—and won his first MVP award. It was also during this period that he converted to Islam, taking the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, publicly affirming his spiritual choice at a time when American society was still experiencing significant racial tensions.
Abdul-Jabbar then joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where his career reached legendary proportions. He won five more NBA titles, bringing his total to six, and accumulated six MVP awards. He participated in 19 All-Star Games, was a two-time league scoring champion, and holds the career scoring record (38,387 points). His accolades also include two Finals MVP awards and a multitude of individual and team accolades. He holds eight playoff records and seven All-Star Game records, and was named to the NBA's 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams.
Technically, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revolutionized basketball by inventing, perfecting, and popularizing the "sky hook," a unique move that no one has equaled: a curling arm shot, difficult to block and incredibly effective, which became his signature weapon. He is also recognizable by his protective goggles, which he adopted after an eye injury during his college years.
His renown extends far beyond the world of sports: Abdul-Jabbar dedicated his life to the fight for civil rights and the promotion of African American culture, writing several books and regularly participating in public debate. Adored for his athletic achievements, respected for his strength of character and social activism, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remains, for many, the greatest legend in basketball history—a champion with universal values and an icon whose influence endures far beyond the court.
Abdul-Jabbar distinguished himself early on at Power Memorial Academy, where he set records for points and rebounds, leading his team to 71 consecutive victories and three New York State high school championships. This period is unanimously recognized as one of the greatest high school basketball careers in history. In 1965, he entered UCLA under the tutelage of John Wooden and dominated the sport, winning three consecutive NCAA titles from 1967 to 1969 and being named the tournament MVP each time. His impact on the game was so significant that the NCAA temporarily banned the dunk during his time there.
In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar was the first overall pick in the NBA draft and joined the Milwaukee Bucks. In his first season, he distinguished himself with impressive statistics (28.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1971, he led the Bucks to the NBA title—the franchise's only championship—and won his first MVP award. It was also during this period that he converted to Islam, taking the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, publicly affirming his spiritual choice at a time when American society was still experiencing significant racial tensions.
Abdul-Jabbar then joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where his career reached legendary proportions. He won five more NBA titles, bringing his total to six, and accumulated six MVP awards. He participated in 19 All-Star Games, was a two-time league scoring champion, and holds the career scoring record (38,387 points). His accolades also include two Finals MVP awards and a multitude of individual and team accolades. He holds eight playoff records and seven All-Star Game records, and was named to the NBA's 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams.
Technically, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revolutionized basketball by inventing, perfecting, and popularizing the "sky hook," a unique move that no one has equaled: a curling arm shot, difficult to block and incredibly effective, which became his signature weapon. He is also recognizable by his protective goggles, which he adopted after an eye injury during his college years.
His renown extends far beyond the world of sports: Abdul-Jabbar dedicated his life to the fight for civil rights and the promotion of African American culture, writing several books and regularly participating in public debate. Adored for his athletic achievements, respected for his strength of character and social activism, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remains, for many, the greatest legend in basketball history—a champion with universal values and an icon whose influence endures far beyond the court.
Known For
Filmography
| 2026 | Jerry West: The Logo · as Self |
| 2025 | John Candy: I Like Me · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2024 | Giannis: The Marvelous Journey · as Self |
| 2023 | The Luckiest Guy in the World (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2023 | Bill Russell: Legend (TV Series) · as Self - Basketball Hall Of Fame |
| 2023 | Stand · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2022 | Glass Onion · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2022 | Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2022 | They Call Me Magic (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2022 | Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War · as Self - Narrator (voice) |
| 2022 | The Dream Whisperer · as Self |
| 2021 | |
| 2021 | Muhammad Ali (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | John Bronco · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2020 | Be Water · as Self - Student / Friend |
| 2020 | Dear... (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | Basketball County: In the Water · as Self |
| 2020 | Saving OurSelves: BET COVID-19 Relief Effort · as Self - Co-Host |
| 2020 | DAVE (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2020 | Black Patriots · as Self - Narrator (voice) |
| 2020 | Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time (TV Series) · as Self - Video Clue Presenter |
| 2019 | What's My Name: Muhammad Ali · as Self |
| 2018 | Shut Up and Dribble (TV Series) · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2018 | Basketball: A Love Story (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2018 | Quincy · as Self |
| 2018 | 1968 · as Self |
| 2017 | The Comedy Get Down (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2017 | Laura Coates Live (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2017 | Zee Made in America (TV Series) · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2017 | The Beat with Ari Melber (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2017 | The Jim Jefferies Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2017 | Beat Shazam (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2016 | To Tell The Truth (2016) (TV Series) · as Self - Panelist |
| 2016 | O.J.: Made in America (TV Series) · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2016 | O.J.: Made in America · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2016 | Billions (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2015 | Daily Blast Live (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | Kareem: Minority of One · as Self |
| 2015 | MTP Daily (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV Series) · as Self - Surprise Appearance |
| 2015 | StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | Kobe Bryant's Muse · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2015 | Fresh Off the Boat (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2014 | I Am Ali · as Self |
| 2014 | Stand Up to Cancer · as Self |
| 2014 | Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo (TV Series) · as Self - Author, Mycroft Holmes |
| 2014 | Late Night with Seth Meyers (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2014 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | The Crazy Ones (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2013 | The Arsenio Hall Show (2013) (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | Ok! TV (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | CNN This Morning (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | Splash (US) (TV Series) · as Self - Contestant |
| 2013 | The Broadway.Com Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2013 | 44th NAACP Image Awards · as Self |
| 2012 | Home & Family (TV Series) · as Self - Author, Mycroft Holmes |
| 2012 | Guys With Kids (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2012 | PoliticKING with Larry King (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2012 | Good Mythical Morning (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | CBS Mornings (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | CBS Mornings (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | The Chew (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | New Girl (TV Series) · as Himself |
| 2011 | A Football Life (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | On the Shoulders of Giants · as Self - Narrator |
| 2010 | Conan (2010) (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2010 | The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear · as Self |
| 2010 | The Talk (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2010 | Stand Up to Cancer · as Self |
| 2010 | Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals · as Self |
| 2010 | On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Team You Never Heard Of · as Self - Narrator |
| 2009 | Talk Stoop (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2009 | 30 for 30 (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | The Mo'Nique Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2009 | Red Carpet Report (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Pawn Stars (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2009 | The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | How Bruce Lee Changed the World · as Self |
| 2009 | Kobe Doin' Work · as Self |
| 2009 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2008 | Huckabee (TV Series) · as Self - Former Nba Player |
| 2008 | Celebrity Family Feud (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | The Wendy Williams Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2008 | The Black List: Volume One · as Self |
| 2007 | The Big Bang Theory (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2007 | Chelsea Lately (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2007 | ESPN First Take (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | The UCLA Dynasty · as Self - Ucla Bruins 1966 - 1969 |
| 2007 | Ali's 65 · as Self |
| 2006 | Ali Rap · as Self |
| 2006 | The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self |
| 2006 | Greatest Moments in NBA History · as Self |
| 2006 | Mike and Mike in the Morning (TV Series) · as Self - Basketball Hall Of Famer |
| 2005 | ESPN Outside the Lines: First Report (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | Iconoclasts (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | The Colbert Report (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | The Girls Next Door (TV Series) · as Self - Basketball Player |
| 2005 | Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | Dancing with the Stars (TV Series) · as Self - Contestant |
| 2005 | |
| 2005 | TCM Guest Programmer (TV Series) · as Self - Special Guest |
| 2004 | ESPN25: Who's #1? (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | The Drop (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | Tavis Smiley (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | Dennis Miller (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2003 | Anderson Cooper 360° (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | 2003 Trumpet Awards · as Self |
| 2003 | Real Time with Bill Maher (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2003 | The Bachelorette (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | Last Call with Carson Daly (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2001 | Scrubs (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 2000 | Bruce Lee in G.O.D.: Shibôteki yûgi · as Himself / Hakim |
| 2000 | Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey · as Self |
| 2000 | The War Next Door (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1999 | |
| 1999 | The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1999 | SportsCentury (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1998 | Hollywood Squares (TV Series) · as Self - Panelist |
| 1998 | BASEketball · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1998 | The Path of the Dragon · as Self |
| 1997 | Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz · as Self |
| 1997 | The Gregory Hines Show (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1997 | The View (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1996 | Beyaz Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | |
| 1996 | NBA at 50 · as Self |
| 1996 | Everybody Loves Raymond (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1996 | Access Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The Daily Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The 68th Annual Academy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1996 | Boston Common (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1996 | Buddies (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1995 | Forget Paris · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1995 | Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do · as Self |
| 1994 | WGN Morning News (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1994 | D2: The Mighty Ducks · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1994 | Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon · as Self |
| 1993 | Phenom (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1993 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1993 | Living Single (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1993 | The Curse of the Dragon · as Self |
| 1993 | WWE Raw (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1991 | Charlie Rose (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1991 | One on One with John Tesh (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1991 | |
| 1990 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1990 | Outside the Lines (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1990 | In Living Color (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1990 | The Best of the Martial Arts Films · as Self |
| 1989 | Troop Beverly Hills · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1989 | The Arsenio Hall Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1989 | 21st NAACP Image Awards · as Self |
| 1988 | Inside Edition (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | The NBA on TNT (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1987 | Biography (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1987 | Eyes on the Prize (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1986 | The New Hollywood Squares (TV Series) · as Self - Panelist |
| 1985 | Fletch · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1984 | Pryor's Place (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1984 | Jeopardy! (TV Series) · as Self - Celebrity Contestant |
| 1984 | Olympic Gala · as Self - Guest |
| 1984 | CBS Schoolbreak Special (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1983 | Computer Chronicles (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1983 | Wheel of Fortune (TV Series) · as Self - Celebrity Contestant |
| 1982 | Late Night With David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1981 | Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1980 | Fridays (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1979 | The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1979 | SportsCenter (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1979 | The Visitor · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1979 | CBS Sunday Morning With Jane Pauley (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1976 | Cos (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1975 | PBS News (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1975 | Good Morning America (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1974 | Dinah! (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1974 | Bicentennial Minutes (TV Series) · as Self - Narrator |
| 1973 | AFI Life Achievement Award (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1972 | The ABC Afterschool Special (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1968 | 60 Minutes (TV Series) · as Self - Former Nba Player (segment: Unsportsmanlike Conduct) |
| 1968 | The Rosey Grier Show (TV Series) · as Self - As Lew Alcindor |
| 1967 | The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1966 | The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1965 | The Dating Game (TV Series) · as Self - Guest Star Contestant |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1953 | The Academy Awards (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1952 | Today (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1950 | The Bob Hope Show (TV Series) · as Self |