by Mark Langill
Throughout his life, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stood tall for his beliefs.
On the eve of his 78th birthday and on Jackie Robinson Day, with a cane tucked away, the basketball Hall of Famer chose to sit in a fitting spot Tuesday afternoon while reminiscing about his boyhood hero.
It was the base of Jackie Robinson’s statue at Dodger Stadium on a hazy Tuesday afternoon.
Abdul-Jabbar’s athletic attire blended with the stories from his childhood as a New York native growing up in Manhattan. He donned a white Dodgers home jersey with the red-colored 42 on the front — the number retired by all Major League teams on the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s Dodger debut on April 15, 1947 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
Flash ahead to 2025, and all the players and coaches from the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies, who altered their pregame schedules for what is now a traditional pregame celebration of Robinson’s life, were also wearing 42. Abdul-Jabbar discussed the importance of having an inspirational model and how Robinson’s life, which ended at age 53 in 1972, still resonates with American society.
The tone of his stories matched the quote most associated with Robinson, displayed on the side of the statue base and sometimes covered by Abdul-Jabbar’s faded blue jeans when he shifted his frame.
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Abdul-Jabbar also proudly clutched the bill of his replica blue “B” Brooklyn cap when describing the repeated attempts by neighborhood kids who tried to knock it off his head as they were fans of the two other New York teams, the National League Giants and American League Yankees.
“They never did,” he said with a laugh, the tall kid who grew into a 7-foot-2, 225-pound center who was a member of six NBA championship teams and the sport’s all-time leader in points scored when he retired in 1989.
Abdul-Jabbar started his presentation by announcing his upcoming birthday. He was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947, the day after Robinson’s historic debut with the Dodgers against the Boston Braves as the first African American of the 20th century to play in the Major Leagues.
“He was a hero of mine from day one when I became aware who he was. It was a good choice for me,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who changed his name from Lew Alcindor in 1971 as a member of the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks after a three-week trip to Africa.
While deciding on potential colleges in 1965, Alcindor received a letter from Robinson recommending UCLA, his alma mater, led by basketball coach John Wooden. It wasn’t the first time Robinson offered advice to a New York prep sports star.
During his last season with Brooklyn in 1956, Robinson called New basketball and baseball standout Tommy Davis at his home and advised that he should sign with the Dodgers instead of the Yankees. Davis took the advice and became a two-time National League batting champion after the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.
As a high school senior in 1965, Alcindor was still the expert on Robinson’s Dodger heroics, including Robinson’s steal of home in the 1955 World Series at Yankee Stadium, a play that later inspired sculptor Branly Cadet when he created the Robinson statue for Dodger Stadium in 2017 that depicts Robinson sliding into home.
Robinson’s basketball connection, though, was lost on Alcindor when the pair met at a New York dinner honoring Alcindor’s NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
“I thought, ‘Why is he here?” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I later found out he lettered in basketball, baseball, track and field and football at UCLA. I was totally surprised.”
Robinson’s dedication to civil rights and other civic causes inspired Abdul-Jabbar throughout his playing career and post-retirement projects, including his roles as an author and public speaker.
Sitting on the statue base in the shadow of a sliding icon, Abdul-Jabbar reflected on Robinson’s enduring legacy.
“It means Jackie had an idea of what we had to confront,” he said. “We had to confront segregation. In many ways, we’re still confronting it. But it’s worth it. It certainly makes people respect us as a country when they see there is some tension there and good people are trying to do the right thing.”
Jackie’s influence still resonates with Kareem was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.