Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, famous for his “Sky Hook” shot. He won six championships and was selected as an All-star 19 times. Kareem was a skilled Center, and his Sky Hook shot was nearly indefensible. His scoring record at the top of the NBA all-time chart was only broken by LeBron James, and Abdul-Jabbar remains among the first-row contenders of the NBA GOAT status.
Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t always a Muslim. He grew up with a Christian faith, and only transitioned into Islamic beliefs when he was already playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once shared his thoughts on converting to Islam
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once spoke about his reason for converting to Islam. He said, “Islam is a very personal thing. I never did it to be political.”
Abdul-Jabbar continued, “I did it because I couldn’t reconcile myself to the Christian ideology anymore. I didn’t do it to tweak society’s nose either. It was a reaction to what I found about the Catholics and Christians, their involvement in the slave trade, their destruction of cultures and suppression of people throughout the world. Those were the things that moved me to become a Muslim.”
What was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous name before converting to Islam?
In the summer of 1968, Abdul-Jabbar converted from Catholicism to Sunni Islam. Before that, he was known as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. He took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but did not use it in public until 1971.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently spoke up and broke his silence on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict with a post that caught the attention of the Twitterverse. He posted saying, “Violence will not solve the complex problems of the Middle East but only lead to more violence.” He emphasized on the need of ceasefire and said that peace was necessary as it is the only remedy. He has urged an immediate end to hostilities and meaningful negotiations between all parties.
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