Abdul-Jabbar surprised by reax to leukemia news
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is glad he went public about being treated for a rare form of leukemia because it has given him a chance to reconnect with people.
The NBA’s career scoring leader said Sunday that since his recent announcement he has been stopped by people in public who wish him well and encourage him about his condition.
“The response has been really intense,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to play out this way, but it’s been wonderful. I’ve got people’s prayers and their support and they ask what they can do. People just want to connect and it’s been beautiful.”
Their reaction has taken the 62-year-old six-time NBA MVP by surprise. Abdul-Jabbar was known for being introverted and sullen during his 20-year playing career, often refusing to talk to the media. As a result, he has been a low-profile presence since retiring in 1989 despite his stellar basketball accomplishments at UCLA and in the NBA.
Abdul-Jabbar said he’s in good spirits about his future because the chronic myeloid leukemia is in remission. He was diagnosed last December.
“I’m not dealing with a death sentence and that’s one thing that was very important for me to communicate with everyone, that this condition can be managed,” he said. “Too many people don’t understand that.”
Several of his former teammates and opponents from his NBA days have reached out to him and Abdul-Jabbar said he is appreciative.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Abdul-Jabbar had confided his condition to him before the public announcement.
“We’re obviously empathetic toward what he’s going through,” Jackson said.
He plans on continuing his job as a special assistant coach with the NBA champion Lakers, working on a documentary based on his last book, “On the Shoulders of Giants” about the Harlem renaissance, and keeping in touch with his five children ranging in age from 18 to 37.
Abdul-Jabbar said he hasn’t closed on the door on being a head coach in the NBA, a job that has eluded him for years.
“I really need to deal with what I’m dealing with now and I really can’t pursue it,” he said. “I got a full plate right now.”
Silver Screen and Roll
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can raise much more awareness about this blood cancer than I could under my own name.
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of work as a gravy training rude jerk and overall thoroughly disagreeable person. After the incident
happened I remained a Jabbar fan all of his playing career and pulled for him everytime the Lakers
played and I have kept up with him in retirement. I just came to reality that he was not a role model.
As a father of six (yes I said 6) and mentor I can never imagine an incident that would ever occur that I
would blow up at impressionable kids for my own personal reasons or problems, but I guess I can thank
Jabbar for that, because I know how demoralized we felt afterwards. If you properly read my post you will
see that I personally did not wish any ill will towards him, only that I cannot feel sorry for him. I am a firm
believer that what goes around comes around and I reserve my sympathy and empathy for those
instances where bad things happen to good people not bad things that happen to mean and rude people.
Prior to this medical condition being revealed most news about Abdul-Jabbar was mostly about his
selfishness and whining. I remember when he could not get a job as a volunteer coach because nobody
wanted his negativity near their teams. Once again I hope he lives a long and pain free life, but I can't
help but wonder if the CML people had come to him and asked him to be an un-paid spokesman before
he was diagnosed with his illness what he would have told them. He finally has found his gravy train for
life.
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Sorry to hear it. Long time fan. Good luck big fella, God bless!
P.S. Why is anybody writing anything bad? The man's sick! If you are writing bad comments on this blog you really have no class and no heart. Nomatter who you are. If you don't have anything positive to say then atleast go say it elsewhere. Have just a little respect for a fellow human being. Peace"
Manny, Kareem brought this on himself, just like Barry Bonds he was a jerk and an @#$% during and after
his career. Not once since he retired has he shown the interest in helping anyone or doing anything other than looking for a gravy train and complaining about how he is treated. Now he has a manageable form of CML he wants to be a paid spokesman and receive our sympathy. I hate to see anyone be sick, but I just can't feel sorry for him. I met him 34 yrs ago when I was an impressionable preteen and dreamed of being like my then hero Abdul-Jabbar. He was rude and verbally abusive to me when my best friend and I asked him for an autograph. I have never asked an athlete for their autograph since. If he did not like giving autographs he should have just said no and walked on, but noooo he had to be an @#$% and tongue lash two kids. I hope he lives a long life and has no pain, but I don't feel sorry for him. Karma is a B****.
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Sorry to hear it. Long time fan. Good luck big fella, God bless!
P.S. Why is anybody writing anything bad? The man's sick! If you are writing bad comments on this blog you really have no class and no heart. Nomatter who you are. If you don't have anything positive to say then atleast go say it elsewhere. Have just a little respect for a fellow human being. Peace"
Manny, Kareem brought this on himself, just like Barry Bonds he was a jerk and an @#$% during and after
his career. Not once since he retired has he shown the interest in helping anyone or doing anything other than looking for a gravy train and complaining about how he is treated. Now he has a manageable form of CML he wants to be a paid spokesman and receive our sympathy. I hate to see anyone be sick, but I just can't feel sorry for him. I met him 34 yrs ago when I was an impressionable preteen and dreamed of being like my then hero Abdul-Jabbar. He was rude and verbally abusive to me when my best friend and I asked him for an autograph. I have never asked an athlete for their autograph since. If he did not like giving autographs he should have just said no and walked on, but noooo he had to be an @#$% and tongue lash two kids. I hope he lives a long life and has no pain, but I don't feel sorry for him. Karma is a B****.
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You're freakin' annoying, and I bet your schoolmates told you the same thing.
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You just made a bad move on that 350th comment. I'ma posterize you right here.
If you think about it, how boring would the NBA be if it was still all white? I mean seriously, if Hitler was around even THAT racist fool could say that. Blacks revolutionized the sport of basketball (who invented the slam dunk? Not a white guy).
Now for the sinker: If I ever catch you on the streets, you may as well consider yourself killed. If Kareem was white, would you care? EQUALITY, PLEASE!!!
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I usually don't cuss on this page, but Im'a have to do it now. You just don't get it. ALL YOU DO IS POST BULLSHlT EVERY DAMN DAY!! Go complain to your mommy about this stuff - she's obviously the only one who might listen.
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