“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won’t even look at me when the Lakers play Bucks”: Wilt Chamberlain was livid at ‘Kap’ for his attitude towards their differing politics

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain did not have their politics align with one another and it caused them to drift apart. 

Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t exactly dominate in the same eras but somehow had years together as friends and as foes. On the court, the two are arguably two of the most dominant and skilled centers the game has ever seen but off it, Wilt and Kap couldn’t be further apart. 

Their relationship was actually quite positive to begin with as Kareem would hang out with Wilt Chamberlain in his teenage years and party with him. The Sixers and Warriors legend even gave him two pure silk suits of his. They were stained and Jabbar’s mom threw them out (rightfully so) but it’s the thought that counts.

Also read:  “Giannis is not beating a good team even with Wilt Chamberlain numbers”: Shannon Sharpe demands Bucks teammates to step up against Jayson Tatum and Celtics

However, as Kareem grew older, he realized that his morals nor his ideals aligned with Wilt’s. Having grown up in Harlem, the eventual 6x champ knew exactly what it was like to be part of a society that was divided by racially motivated ideals. 

The Harlem Race riots of 1964 that lasted a week led Kareem Abdul-Jabbar down a path of righteous activism. 

Wilt Chamberlain on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his activism. 

Wilt Chamberlain was a Republican through and through and he even attended Martin Luther King Jr’s funeral alongside Richard Nixon. Kareem on the other hand, was far from being a Republican. He attended the Muhammed Ali summit while at UCLA that supported the boxing legend’s decision of not being drafted into the Vietnam War. 

He would then support several black athletes in 1968 in their refusal to participate in the Olympics. While in high school, he was a part of the HARYOU program that was designed to keep children off the streets of Harlem. 

Wilt Chamberlain eventually got fed up with the situation regarding his relationship with Kareem, saying, “He won’t even look at me when the Lakers play the Bucks and we jump center.” [at the 3:31 minute mark] He said this in his book, ‘Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door’ 

Also read: “I give Kareem Abdul-Jabbar full credit for breaking my all-time scoring record!”: When Wilt Chamberlain emphasized on Lakers legend’s long-time excellence

Another hard-hitting remark hurled towards Kareem from Wilt’s side was him saying, “He seems to think that because I haven’t changed my name and still have a lot of white friends that I’ve abandoned the black man.”