Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, formerly known as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, was born in 1947. Kareem wanted to play in the NBA straight out of high school, but the league rules prevented him from doing so. Instead, he joined UCLA and became a Bruin. As a sophomore, Kareem broke several UCLA records and led the team to a 30-0 season behind his 29 points per game.
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Kareem was so dominant that he became the reason dunk was banned in college basketball from 1967 to 1976. During his three years with the Bruins, the team had a 88-2 record. In 1969, Jabbar was drafted as the first pick in the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks.
In his second season, he led the Bucks to their first-ever Championship. That season, Jabbar won the regular season MVP and Finals MVP as well. Winning 1 Championship, 1 Finals MVP, and 3x MVPs, Kareem demanded a trade in 1975. He joined the Lakers and played for the Purple and Gold till he retired.
How many seasons did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play in the NBA?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated players in NBA History. As of now, he’s the NBA’s All-Time Scoring leader. However, LeBron James trails him by just 36 points, and Kareem may not hold this record in a few hours.
Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons. Cap made several NBA records during that time, including the coveted Scoring Record. He passed Wilt Chamberlain in 1984 with 31,420 points as the NBA’s All-Time Scoring Leader. It’s almost been 39 years, and he still holds the record to date.
After winning three MVP honors in the first five years of his career, Kareem won the next two MVP honors within the first three years of his tenure as a Laker. His final regular season MVP honors came in his first year with Magic Johnson.
Ever since the Lakers drafted Magic, Kareem won five NBA Championships in his final 10 NBA seasons. Their duo became a lethal pairing and led to the formation of the ‘Showtime’ Lakers.
Kareem’s Career Achievements
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired as one of the greatest players in the NBA. He accomplished a lot of things during his 20-year career and broke several records. Here are some of his career’s best achievements:
- 6x NBA Champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
- 6x NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
- 2x Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
- 19x NBA All-Star
- 15x All-NBA Honors (10x First Team, 5x Second Team)
- NBA’s All-Time Scoring Leader (38,387 points)
- NBA Most Field Goals Made All-Time (15,837)
- NBA Most Minutes Played All-Time (58,446)
- 3rd in All-Time Blocks List (3,189)
- 3rd in All-Time Rebounds (17,440)
While LeBron may take away Kareem’s crowing jewel soon, we must take a moment and appreciate Jabbar’s greatness and how he was the GOAT before Jordan and Bron.
