LOS ANGELES — It had been two days since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took a short step down to second place in the record book. But he seems to have long ago made his peace with the idea that he would be eclipsed.
As a reporter mentioned in passing that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had passed his franchise scoring record last year, the 75-year-old quipped: “Geez, I’m fading fast.”
But while Abdul-Jabbar is now seeing younger men strive further than he once did in basketball, he remains very much alive, writing new articles three times per week, keeping up with his grandchildren, and well, maybe even looking back at the past with a little chagrin. He stood tall in his days at New York’s Power Memorial High, at UCLA, in Milwaukee and for 14 memorable seasons in a Laker uniform, but he’s not so proud as to worry about LeBron James taking his spot as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Asked about what nearly 39 years as the league’s leading scorer meant to him on Thursday night shortly before the Lakers and Bucks tipped off, Abdul-Jabbar was almost dismissive.
“I think it’s something people will know that I did along the way,” he said. “But those days are over. It’s no big deal.”
With his presence on Tuesday and Thursday, including presenting a ceremonial ball to James at midcourt of Crypto.com Arena during the third quarter on the night James passed his 38,387-point mark, Abdul-Jabbar meant to mend fences with the younger man. They only met for the first time “five or six years ago” when Abdul-Jabbar attended a Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game, and James introduced him to his mother. They also chatted last Halloween at a Lakers party when Abdul-Jabbar brought his grandkids.
In between, Abdul-Jabbar has played commentator to James’ legacy. He wrote an essay when James was named Sports Illustrated’s 2020 Sportsman of the Year, lauding his social activism. He also had praise for James on Thursday night: “He’s sending an…
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