Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who always seems to be a good-natured, well-meaning elder these days, carried an edge to his on-court persona which has gotten forgotten over the years.
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Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA’s all-time leader in regular season points for nearly 39 years. The #1 pick of the 1969 NBA Draft played for 20 seasons in the league.
A 19-time All-Star, 2-time Finals MVP and 6-time league MVP, Kareem is considered the consensus GOAT center. Had the NBA allowed high school or even one-and-done players as they do today, his stats would be even gaudier.
Despite being a dominant player, Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t the typical superstar athlete off the court. He was a studious person who didn’t like engaging in small talk.
During his best seasons with the Bucks and his initial Lakers years, he was noticeably gruff and aloof at press conferences. This led to his popularity not taking off as it did for the charismatic Magic Johnson after him.
Shaquille O’Neal shares video of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar punching Kent Benson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in his prime when he kicked off the Lakers’ season opener against Milwaukee. He was up against the no. 1 overall pick from that draft – Kent Benson – at the center position.
In an effort to establish their physicality early on, Benson and Kareem both went at each other. Benson elbowed Abdul-Jabbar hard in the solar plexus, causing the latter to double up in pain.
Once he regained his breath, Kareem went up to Benson and punched him in the face. The punch caused a fracture in Abdul-Jabbar’s wrist and he had to wear a cast for 3 weeks.
In addition, Abdul-Jabbar was issued with a $5000 fine by the NBA – the highest in league history at the time. He proved that he wouldn’t back down from a fight, but at a pretty high cost to himself and the Lakers.
O’Neal posted footage of the showdown between the two big men on his Instagram tonight.
Kareem Abdul-Jabber rocks Kent Benson after catching an elbow to the stomach.
Benson was the 1st overall pick and this was two minutes into his first game ever. Welcome to the NBA 🤝 pic.twitter.com/dX6crFIJEd
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) August 10, 2022
Shaq had his share of fights during his time in the NBA
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley famously brawled on the court during a Lakers-Rockets game in 1999. The animosity between the two had to be resolved by their mothers, who were friends.
O’Neal also got into some heated moments with the likes of Alvin Robertson and Dennis Rodman. Though he got calmer as he grew older, he still had the propensity to lose his cool.
