Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
A basketball colossus whose skyhook and intellectual grace redefined the center position and made him the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American basketball player·Birthday: April 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born Lew Alcindor in New York City, he dominated the sport from his high school days, a trajectory that seemed preordained. At UCLA, under John Wooden, he began an unmatched three-year reign, losing only two games and winning three national titles. His conversion to Islam and adoption of the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a profound personal evolution that he carried onto the court with a serene, unflappable majesty. His weapon was the unstoppable skyhook, a move of balletic precision that became the most reliable two points in basketball history. With it, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title and later anchored the Los Angeles Lakers' 'Showtime' dynasty, his cerebral presence providing the perfect counterpoint to the team's flash. Off the court, he was a thinker and writer, engaging with social issues and history long after his retirement. More than a scorer, he was the game's philosopher-king, a man whose physical dominance was matched only by the depth of his contemplation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kareem was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kareem Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Kareem's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a record that still stands, with 38,387 points.
- Won a record six regular-season NBA Most Valuable Player awards.
- Earned six NBA championships, one with the Milwaukee Bucks and five with the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Named the NBA Finals MVP twice (1971 and 1985).
- Selected as a member of the NBA's 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams.
Did You Know?
He is a trained martial artist who studied Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do and appeared in Lee's film 'Game of Death'.
He served as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department on multiple occasions.
Abdul-Jabbar has authored several books, including works on the Harlem Renaissance and the history of African American inventors.
He famously wore goggles for much of his later career after suffering a corneal scratch.
““I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.””
