Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes
Quotes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can be interesting because he adds in a spice of his knowledge regarding American history.
Are some of his quotations a bit controversial? Sure, but that’s what makes things interesting.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a great player to watch back during the Los Angeles Lakers first championship years. His part in the Lakers’ “Showtime” offensive explosions was dominated by his popular “Sky-hook” shot.
As part of our Superhero Basketball Quotes Series, we bring you “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes”.
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Now, on to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes!
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (1-5)
“As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit.”“Few players have cast a spell across the game like Yao Ming, before or since.”“I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.”“I’m not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court.”“It’s hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (6-10)
“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.”“I can do something else besides stuff a ball through a hoop. My biggest resource is my mind.”“Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.”“As a parent, I have a job as a role model to my children, and by extension, to other young people.”“Center is a very tough position to play.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (11-15)
“Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.”“I didn’t really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.”“My mother had to send me to the movies with my birth certificate, so that I wouldn’t have to pay the extra fifty cents that the adults had to pay.”“Either because I was an athlete or because I was black — probably both — there seemed to be a clear assumption that I wouldn’t be up to the work.”“But people don’t know if I can teach the game. I know I can. My experience in Oklahoma was positive. It opened my eyes to how the game is played — the interaction among players, fans and media, how all that works. You have to know about the business of the game and how the actions of players and coaches affect the business. I think I have it down now.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (16-20)
“He doesn’t necessarily have to learn the sky hook. He just has to learn how to be an effective post player. I think I can help him do that.”“The first time I shot the hook, I was in fourth grade, and I was about five feet eight inches tall. I put the ball up and felt totally at ease with the shot. I was completely confident it would go in and I’ve been shooting it ever since.”“During 1866 and 1922, Native Americans and black soldiers often intermingled in the American west, on the frontier.”“A team will always appreciate a great individual if he’s willing to sacrifice for the group.”“I’ve had a desire to coach for years. This was something I felt I should do.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (21-25)
“If they took the idea that they could escape poverty through education, I think it would make a more basic and long-lasting change in the way things happen. What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals.”“Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.”“We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today’s basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.”“I had a moment like that with Wilt (Chamberlain). He knocked me out of bounds, I came back and faked him, came across the middle and dunked on him.”“Elgin’s game was an incredible performance, also. I don’t think there’s any comparison. Elgin did it without three-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe’s range is unreal, and he does it his way.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (26-30)
“I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.”“All the courage and competitiveness of Jackie Robinson affects me to this day. If I patterned my life after anyone it was him, not because he was the first black baseball player in the majors but because he was a hero.”“Your best athletes might give basketball a try just when they think, geez, this might be something that pays off for me in the end.”“You have to be able to center yourself, to let all of your emotions go… Don’t ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body.”“When we went up against teams that were better, I just hoped that we could steal the victories.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (31-35)
“The extra pass and the extra effort on defense always get the job done.”“You can’t win if you don’t play as a unit.”“Your mind is what makes everything else work.”“I’ve had enough success for two lifetimes, my success is talent put together with hard work and luck.”“What I learned in my time isn’t necessarily being taught now, and I’d like to help impart that knowledge to a new generation of players.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (36-40)
“The Lakers were able to maintain a certain level of talent and success, and so were the Celtics. It became part of people’s sports lore.”“My choosing Islam was not a political statement; it was a spiritual statement.”“Alexander Hamilton realized that warfare was part and parcel of human nature, and it’s something we had to prepare for.”“Black people don’t have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted.”“When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. That’s a terrible burden.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (41-45)
“The disconnect lasted too long. I think people got the idea I was sullen and couldn’t communicate, which wasn’t true.”“Michael Jordan and Magic and myself all learned how to play the game in college programs that emphasized the team.”“Kobe’s an incredibly talented athlete, and there are many more like him among today’s players.”“Initially when I stopped playing, I had accumulated some burnout.”“The constant expansion has diluted the talent. Other than that, it’s still the same game.”Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes (46)
“Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.”END: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes
