Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been different. But the activist, author and former NBA player refused to let that be a weakness.
“Even when I was just the tall, black guy in a nearly all-white grade school, I knew I was different. My strength comes from a lifetime of being different,” Abdul-Jabbar told the audience of more than 1,000 gathered at the Milwaukee Theatre March 2.
Abdul-Jabbar spoke as part of the UWM Distinguished Lecture Series, the guest of UWM’s Muslim Student Association. Ubaydullah Evans, executive director of the American Learning Institute for Muslims, led the discussion.
The talk brought Abdul-Jabbar back to the city where he began his professional basketball career. The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him in 1969, and in 1971 he led the team to its only championship. When he retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989, he was a six-time most valuable player, 19-time all-star and six-time NBA champion.
While playing for the Bucks, he changed his name from Lew Alcindor before the 1971-’72 season, a change that was not universally accepted in Milwaukee.
“At first, people in Milwaukee had to find out what I was all about,” he said. “The Muslim community in Milwaukee has grown and changed. It was nothing like this in the 1970s.”
In response to questions about Islam in America, Abdul-Jabbar urged Muslim Americans to stand up for their rights.
“American values and Islamic values are totally compatible. People find that out when they get to know Muslims,” he said. “We need to be bridge builders. I was so happy to see the community in St. Louis raising money to help the attacked Jewish cemetery. I believe Muslim Americans can be a shining light in the Islamic world.”
He expressed gratitude to the Muslims from Sudan, Pakistan and Senegal he had known at UCLA, who urged him “not to give into his anger about racial prejudice.”
Abdul-Jabbar urged black Americans to stay active in the political process.
“We have to keep registering to vote, we have to keep running for office and stay informed of the agenda at all levels of government: city, state and nationally,” he said.
Abdul-Jabbar’s latest book, “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White,” was released last summer, and has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award. He has authored a dozen books, ranging from memoirs to histories to young adult novels.
After a 45-minute conversation with Evans, Abdul-Jabbar answered audience questions. He was asked about Islam, basketball and his friendship with martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Abdul-Jabbar acted in Lee’s final film: “Game of Death.” He remembered his one-time mentor as “a practical joker, who liked Latin dancing and Tito Puente.” He also spoke admiringly of Lee as someone who learned from people outside his own discipline.
When asked about his sources of motivation, he cited his grandmother, who “came to America from the West Indies in 1917, and she always said that if he didn’t go to school, I’d be an ‘ignorant wretch.’”
Osama Choudhry, a member of the UWM Muslim Student Association, was thrilled with Abdul-Jabbar’s visit. “It’s awesome that we brought him here. I’ve been a fan of his forever. It’s amazing that he can come here and positively represent Islam on our campus.”
