A detailed timeline of the impact and legacy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar across different fields.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player widely considered one of the greatest of all time. He played 20 seasons in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, winning six NBA championships and a record six MVP awards. A 19-time All-Star, Abdul-Jabbar was known for his dominant play as a center, particularly his signature skyhook shot. He also played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA's career scoring record from 1984 until LeBron James broke it in 2023. He also contributed as an assistant coach after his playing career ended.
In 1978, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the first NBA player to sign a sneaker endorsement deal with Adidas and subsequently the first player with a signature shoe.
In 1983, Abdul-Jabbar's autobiography, Giant Steps, co-authored with Peter Knobler, was published.
In 1985, Pat Riley called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the greatest player ever.
In 2007, ESPN named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the greatest center of all time.
In 2008, ESPN named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the greatest player in college basketball history.
In 2012, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador.
In 2013, Julius Erving stated that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still the number one player of all time and the player to start a franchise with.
In 2015, ESPN named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the best center in NBA history, and ranked him No. 2 behind Michael Jordan among the greatest NBA players ever.
In 2016, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's only recognized rookie card became the most expensive basketball card ever sold at the time, going for $501,900 at auction.
In 2018, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was ranked No. 4 in Slam's "Top 100 Players Of All-Time".
As of the 2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still holds or shares a number of individual records at UCLA.
In 2020, ESPN ranked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar No. 3 in its list of the top 74 NBA players of all time, recognizing him as the best center ever ahead of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
In 2022, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was ranked No. 3 (first in his position) in ESPN's NBA 75th Anniversary Team list, and No. 3 (behind Jordan and James) in a similar list by The Athletic.
On February 7, 2023, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points to become the NBA's career scoring record holder. Abdul-Jabbar attended the game and passed the game ball to James during the in-game ceremony after the record was broken.
In 2023, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA career scoring record.
In 2023, as LeBron James was on the verge of breaking the NBA career scoring record, Pat Riley remained steadfast in his opinion that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the greatest player in NBA history, citing his unstoppable skyhook shot.
In 2024, LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 19 All-Star team selections.
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