Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

United States, Basketball Player
April 16, 1947

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. NBA coach Pat Riley and players Isiah Thomas and Julius Erving have called him the greatest basketball player of all time.

Also known as Basketball Coach, Actor, Film Producer, Author, Screenwriter

You can't win unless you learn how to lose.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Sports
- Learn
- Win
My biggest accomplishment has been making a transition from athlete to author.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I'm not exaggerating when I say that the 761st was Patton's best tank unit and nobody knew about it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Best
- Say
- Nobody
I didn't really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Home
- Game
- Attention
It's hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Road
- Picture
- Down
Center is a very tough position to play.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Play
- Very
- Tough
I pitched and I played the outfield.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Played
- Outfield
Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Work
- Game
- Preparation

Even when there are adverse circumstances, I try to do my job. And I usually do.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Job
- Try
- Circumstances
I want people to understand that I intend to continue living and doing all the things that I love to do up until the end. And the end is by no means rushing up on me.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- People
- Things
- Understand
As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Good
- Team
- Successful
You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- School
- High
- Crazy
If not shown appreciation, it gets to you.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- You
- Appreciation
- Shown
Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Trying
- Athlete
- Equality

I think a lot of people, if they get the opportunity to do some acting, they think, 'I might be a star.'

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- People
- Opportunity
- Star
When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. That's a terrible burden.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- People
- Believe
- Black
I think the NBA players have to be held accountable in a reasonable way, just like any other professionals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Think
- Way
- Like
I got all A's and was hated for it; I spoke correctly and was called a punk.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Got
- Punk
- Spoke
A team will always appreciate a great individual if he's willing to sacrifice for the group.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Great
- Team
- Sacrifice
OK, I'll put it like this: I doubt if we will see another All-American basketball athlete who is a Rhodes Scholar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Book
- History
- Black
I think someone should explain to the child that it's OK to make mistakes. That's how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Learn
- Child
- Mistakes
When the doctor told me I had cancer, I was scared.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Me
- Cancer
- Doctor
Yoga is just good for you.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Good
- You
- Yoga