One of the biggest what-ifs of NBA history has to do with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The master of the sky hook was one of the most dominant centers in the game, and he had a resume as impressive as any other in the GOAT conversation.
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Why did the six-time NBA Champion never get a head coaching job? Shannon Sharpe believes he’s cracked the case. The NFL legend spoke about the b-ball icon on the latest edition of his Nightcap podcast alongside fellow football legend, Chad Ochocinco.
“People don’t realize how good Kareem was,” stated Shannon after the group discussed their top 3 NBA players. He’s not wrong. The Hall of Famer was a six-time MVP and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Yet for some reason, he always gets listed under MJ, Kobe and LeBron.
“[Kareem] was gonna win the third (Finals) MVP had he not messed his ankle up,” added Sharpe. “Go back and look at the numbers. When Magic won the Finals MVP, go look at Kareem’s numbers. 33 and 14. That’s what he was averaging.”
Sharpe then jumped into the type of character that Kareem was. “I understand a lot of people didn’t like Kareem. A lot of people didn’t like that he changed his name because he wasn’t originally Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was very surly,” he stated.
“He didn’t get along with a lot of people. Kareem ain’t take no jump. You did something to Kareem? Kareem would have punched you in the face,” the Broncos legend emphasized.
While Sharpe wasn’t revealing any information that most basketball heads didn’t already know, he then dropped that Abdul-Jabbar’s character faults were why he never got a head coaching position in the NBA.
“That’s why he didn’t get no head coaching job. Think about it. All the greats that wanted to coach got an opportunity to coach,” he said. Sharpe mentioned names like Bill Russell, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Sam Jones and Larry Bird as iconic ballers who were given the keys to a franchise. “Kareem never got that opportunity.”
It wasn’t just because of his character, though. According to Sharpe, the media disliked Kareem. “The media didn’t like him. The players loved him. You know how I know the players loved him, Ocho? They voted him six-time MVP.”
Despite never coaching, Kareem’s cultural impact in basketball is still felt today. He was successful in the league, yes, but specifically on arguably the league’s most famous franchise, and along with Magic, who helped spark a boom that wasn’t felt until Michael Jordan arrived. Kareem will always belong in the GOAT convo.
