Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - NBA's Greatest Center

By Eddie Delgado

  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, (born April 16, 1e947 Fredrick Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.) An American NBA All-Star basketball player considered one of the best players of all time. His career spanned over 20 years from 1969-1989. His incredible 7 ft 2 in height made him a force to deal with. His record breaking 38,387 points made him the highest total scorer of any player in the league. Kareem was known for his famous skyhook shot and was awarded six Most Valuable Player Awards.

Kareem was picked for the 1969 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Karem remained a dominant force for the Bucks scoring 38 points per game and helping the Bucks to division leaders for four straight years. By 1973, Kareem had won three MVP Awards and one of the top NBA players in scoring.

In 1975 Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had a dominant season averaging 27 points per game and leading the league in blocked shots and rebounds. He still holds the NBA single season record for 1,111 defensive rebounds. Kareem continued to play strong during his next two seasons and named to the All-NBA Second Team twice and the All-Defensive Team once. The Lakers went on to become the most dominant team in the 1980's with the winning combination of Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson to win five NBA Championships.

Kareem announced his retirement in 1989 after 20 years of professional seasons. The Lakers made the NBA Finals in each of Abdul-Jabbar's final three seasons, defeating Boston in 1987 and Detroit in 1988. His athletic honors include; Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in 1995, Rookie of the Year in 1970, six time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980), Final MVP (1971, 1985), One of the fifty greatest players in NBA history, and first player in NBA history to play a total of 20 seasons.

About the Author: Eddie Delgado is the owner and writer for [http://www.VintageSportsCardMemorabilia.com] VSCM is the ultimate NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL sports card and memorabilia site for serious collectors.

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