Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest players in the NBA, with multiple achievements has a reputation of his own. His record which stood for 38 years, is now broken by another Los Angeles Lakers player, LeBron James. One might know that Kareem is a Muslim, however, he converted to Islam later in his life. The Captain is a strong believer in change and it shows. How he turned his life around by converting to Islam.
Kareem is a huge personality in the NBA world, and everything he does is noticed by many. Initially, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went by the name Ferdinand Lweis Alcindor Jr. . Kareem grew up in New York and went on to become of the greatest in the game of basketball. He was a dominant force in high school and scored 2067 points when he played for Power Memorial Academy. Kareem is often vocal for his Islamic brothers and sister.
Muslim Basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar on Trump’s Muslim ban: pic.twitter.com/EuCfh4EFHE
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) July 29, 2016
Kareem attracted many teams but decided to join the Milwaukee Bucks. He made an immediate impact in the league which saw him earn the Rookie of the Year award. After he won his first title with the Bucks, he decided to implement a major change and decided to convert to Islam. However, this was seen as an unpopular decision by the big man. It shook the fans and his parents. In the 1970s Islam was viewed as foreign and un-Catholic religion.
With the change in his name and religion fans were concerned, “The question I’m often asked is why I had to pick a religion so foreign to American culture and a name that was hard for people to pronounce. Some fans took it very personally, as if I had firebombed their church while tearing up an American flag.” Said Kareem Adbul-Jabbar on Aljazeera America.
When did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar convert to Islam?
Kareem converted to Islam after he won his first NBA title with the Bucks. At the time Lew Alcindor was just 24 years old. He decided to take the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means, “the noble one, servant of the Almighty”. Kareem didn’t decide to wake up one day and decided to convert to Islam. He did his research and decided which religion is best for his culture. His decision to convert to Islam is strongly influenced by Malcolm X, a leader in the Nation of Islam.
Sunni Muslim Kareem Abdul Jabbar visiting a mosque abroad.
Kareem is an Arabic word meaning “the most generous, noble, distinguished” and is one of the 99 names of Allah. Abdul means “servant of the” and Jabbar means “almighty”. pic.twitter.com/7mKVpeoxrS— Muhammad Abdulsalaam (@DjCurtisHarmon) August 25, 2020
Kareem joined Islam for spirituality rather than the political aspect. Kareem started studying Quran to not only face hostility but to fight for social justice. “Actually, I was rejecting the religion that was foreign to my American culture and embracing one that was part of my black African heritage. (An estimated 15 to 30 percent of slaves brought from Africa were Muslims.)” Said Kareem.
Kareem is a strong believer in his culture and took steps not many would take to fight for his culture. The Cap decided to portray the best of his culture than get molded into something which he is not. Kareem after deciding to convert to Islam is still a strong believer in Islam. It is clear to say that Kareem is a strong believer which helped him on the court and in life.
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