How 7′ tall centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell stuck their necks out to support Muhammad Ali 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been a champion for Social Justice – even in 1967 when he supported Muhammad Ali.

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. and Cassius Clay are two names that are not recognisable, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali are. Two of the most vocal and active supporters of Social justice, along with the late Celtics great, Bill Russell comprised a  formidable trio of names coming together in 1967.

Ali was in his physical prime and was dazzling audiences with his silky smooth feet and hard-hitting punches. But when the Vietnam war came along, he stood his ground because he “did not want to shoot his brothers of a different color”. At a time when almost every eligible man was enrolling into the army, a physical specimen was saying no.

Kareem and Russell came to support their brother, who was put on a very public trial. Russell was about to win 2 more titles and Kareem was 2 years away from being drafted. Two big names in the game, and they risked everything they had to lend their support to a man who was wrongfully being accused.

He may have lost the case, but won the war because he was a free man in 1971. He lost four years of his boxing life but won the hearts of many fighting outside the ring.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali connected in more ways than one – for one they changed their names and religion

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali had a connection that went beyond just knowing each other through athletic circles. Ali was Kareem’s inspiration, and he admits that his formative years were spent admiring the boxing legend. Even though the age gap was only 5 years, Ali had captured the world, while Kareem was still looking for his place.

When Ali refused to be drafted for the Vietnam War, Bill Russell and Kareem were by his side, supporting him. Just 55 years ago, racism was still rampant and the MLK speech was just 4 years before the debacle. It got so huge that Ali was stripped of his titles, and all his licenses were revoked. He even got jailed for 5 years.

The man was stripped of a legacy because he stood for something – Kareem was moved. He bases all his decisions now on this one incident – and rightfully so. Muhammad Ali may have been an arrogant brash young man, but he also stood for the masses. He was as big as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King to the public. A social warrior outside the ring, a butterfly who stung like a bee inside.

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