Hamaas Abdul Khaalis (1921 – November 13, 2003), born Ernest Timothy McGhee , was leader of the Hanafi Movement, a Black Muslim group based in Washington, D.C.
162-567: Khaalis founded the group following a split with the Nation of Islam in 1957. In 1971 he won the support of the basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , but in 1973, his family was murdered . Enraged by the murders, he organized a 1977 siege of Washington, D.C. in which two of 149 hostages died. He spent the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping while armed, second-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of assault with
324-661: A Sunni Muslim mystic named Tasibur Uddein Rahman, an immigrant from Kolkata . Rahman was an active participant in the South Asian Barelvi movement and conveyed the movement's view of Islam to Khaalis. Instead of describing himself as Barelvi, Khaalis adopted the name " Hanafi ," the predominant school of religious jurisprudence ( madhhab ) within the movement, and opened a "Hanafi Madh-Hab Center" in Washington DC . It appears that Khaalis may have been drawn to
486-480: A new religious movement . The Nation teaches that there has been a succession of mortal gods, each a black man named Allah , of whom Fard Muhammad is the most recent. It claims that the first Allah created the earliest humans, the Arabic -speaking, dark-skinned Tribe of Shabazz , whose members possessed inner divinity and from whom all people of color descend. It maintains that a scientist named Yakub then created
648-709: A spaceship , the "Mother Plane" or "Mother Ship", to wipe out the white race and establish a utopia . Members worship in buildings called mosques or temples . Practitioners are expected to live disciplined lives, adhering to strict dress codes, specific dietary requirements, and patriarchal gender roles. Wallace Fard Muhammad established the Nation of Islam in Detroit . He drew on various sources, including Noble Drew Ali 's Moorish Science Temple of America , black nationalist trends like Garveyism , and black-oriented forms of Freemasonry . After Fard Muhammad disappeared in 1934,
810-603: A "difficult person", alongside his attempts at trying to break into coaching while nearing the age of fifty, that affected his chances of becoming a head coach within the NBA or NCAA. Abdul-Jabbar worked as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics , helping mentor, among others, their young centers, Michael Olowokandi and Jerome James . Abdul-Jabbar was the head coach of
972-761: A $ 10 fee. During the mid-20th century the Nation began encouraging the use of "X" as a surname, symbolising what they regarded as the African-Americans identity as an "ex-slave" and also as a marker for their lost ancestral name. As this results in many individuals having the same name, numbers are added before the X to differentiate members (i.e. "Charles 2X", "Charles 3X"). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar As head coach: As assistant coach: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( / k ə ˈ r iː m æ b ˈ d uː l dʒ ə ˈ b ɑːr / kə- REEM ab- DOOL jə- BAR ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. ( / æ l ˈ s ɪ n d ər / al- SIN -dər ); April 16, 1947)
1134-435: A 1973 interview, Khaalis said he was teaching Malcolm X about Sunni Islam . "He used to come to my house on Long Island and we would sit in his car for hours. He would meet me after he left the temple. Never in public because he knew they were after him. He was saying the wrong things." On January 18, 1973, Khaalis' family was murdered inside their Washington D.C home, in retaliation for letters that Khaalis had written against
1296-542: A 20.4 point average, the lowest of his career at the time. The Lakers advanced to the 1983 NBA Finals in a rematch against the 76ers, who had acquired Moses Malone to shore up their center position after Abdul-Jabbar had outplayed their big-man duo of Darryl Dawkins and Caldwell Jones in the previous finals. The 76ers swept the Lakers 4–0, and Malone was named the Finals MVP after outrebounding Abdul-Jabbar 72–30 in
1458-411: A 7-footer instead of positioning. After the pounding he endured early in his career, his rebounding average fell to between six or eight a game in his latter years. As a teammate, Abdul-Jabbar exuded natural leadership and was affectionately called "Cap", or "Captain", by his colleagues. He had an even temperament, which Riley said made him coachable. A strict fitness regime made Abdul-Jabbar one of
1620-480: A cast of no-name free agents, the Lakers were projected to finished near the bottom of the Pacific Division in 1976–77 . Abdul-Jabbar helped lead the team to the best record (53–29) in the NBA, and he won his fifth MVP award, tying Bill Russell 's record. Abdul-Jabbar led the league in field goal percentage (.579), was third in scoring (26.2), and was second in rebounds (13.3) and blocked shots (3.18). In
1782-727: A child prodigy, by the age of 18 he had learned everything that Mecca's universities had to teach him. He attracted a following but caused trouble, leading the Meccan authorities to exile him and his 59,999 followers to Pelan, the Mediterranean island of Patmos . On Pelan, the NOI claims, Yakub engaged in a selective breeding program to create the white race. This entailed breeding new children, with those who were too dark being killed at birth and their bodies being fed to wild animals or incinerated. Over two centuries, Yakub's experiments created
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#17327725901561944-545: A council of ruling imams; 12 greater and 12 lesser. Each of these imams would take a turn being the ruling Allah for one cycle each. The NOI refers to these early individuals as "god-scientists". They are part of what it calls the "Original" or "Asiatic" race, a people who were divided into 13 tribes. The Nation labels these people "black", describing them as having dark skin as well as smooth, straight hair, closely resembling dark-complexioned Arabians or South Asians rather than Sub-Saharan Africans. In portraying humanity as
2106-578: A cycle in history, taking over following the death of their predecessor. The Nation regards its founder, Fard Muhammad, as the latest of these Allahs, or "God in person". He is deemed the first to have attained the same powers as that of the earliest Allah, namely the ability to return the universe to its primordial darkness and then recreate it. The Nation teaches that although this founder disappeared in 1934, he had secretly moved to Mecca in Arabia and would live for another 409 years. The Nation promotes
2268-494: A dangerous weapon, and 24 counts of kidnapping while armed. Khaalis was born to Seventh-day Adventist parents in Gary, Indiana as Ernest Timothy McGhee. He graduated 22nd in a class of 135 at Roosevelt High School, and he played percussion instruments and eventually converted to Roman Catholicism . He attended Purdue University and Mid-Western Conservatory. He was discharged from the U.S. Army on grounds of schizophrenia . He
2430-481: A fieldstone mansion, 7700 16th Street NW , to serve as the headquarters of Khaalis' organization in Washington, D.C. In 1972, Khaalis circulated an open letter that referred to Elijah Muhammad as a "lying deceiver" and asserted that he lured "former dope addicts and prostitutes to monk-like lives of sacrifice" that would "lead them to hell." Khaalis claimed credit for Malcolm X's leaving the Nation of Islam. In
2592-402: A flag based on that of Muslim-majority Turkey . The Nation has little in common with mainstream forms of Islam, regardless of whether they be Sunni , Shia , or Sufi . Mainstream Muslims generally see it as a movement that has "selectively adopted some Islamic beliefs and concepts", but which is not "truly Islamic". The scholars Jason Eric Fishman and Ana Belén Soage observed that although
2754-537: A flesh peddler, and I don't want to think like that." Alcindor's presence enabled the Bucks to claim second place in the NBA's Eastern Division with a 56–26 record (improved from 27–55 the previous year). On February 21, 1970, he scored 51 points in a 140–127 win over the SuperSonics. Alcindor was an instant star, ranking second in the league in scoring ( 28.8 ppg ) and third in rebounding ( 14.5 rpg ), for which he
2916-704: A genie in a lamp in a 1984 episode of Tales from the Darkside . He also played himself on the February 10, 1994, episode of the sketch comedy television series In Living Color . Abdul-Jabbar appeared in the television version of Stephen King 's The Stand , played the Archangel of Basketball in Slam Dunk Ernest , and had a brief non-speaking cameo appearance in BASEketball . Abdul-Jabbar
3078-551: A group called the Kokayi family . When that group was disbanded, many of its members became members of Hamaas' Hanafi American Mussulman's Rifle and Pistol Club , which was given a group membership charter by the National Rifle Association of America . In 1971, Khaalis converted basketball player Lew Alcindor to Islam; after his conversion, Alcindor adopted the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . Abdul-Jabbar donated
3240-489: A group of blonde, light-skinned people, the white race. As a group of people distinct from the Original Asiatic Race, the white race are degenerate, sub-human, and bereft of divinity, being intrinsically prone to lying, violence, and brutality. Elijah Muhammad repeatedly referred to whites as "the devil". The Nation maintains that most white people are unaware of their true origins, but that such knowledge
3402-400: A night, and it's like mowing a huge estate lawn. If you rush out and run around furiously, it's self-defeating. You'll be worn out just at the point when you're most needed." Abdul-Jabbar finished his career with then-NBA records of 20 seasons and 1,560 games played, later broken by former Celtics center Robert Parish . Abdul-Jabbar began wearing his trademark goggles after getting poked in
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#17327725901563564-424: A perception of him being aloof and surly. At the time, his mentality was that he either did not have the time or did not owe anything to anyone. Magic Johnson recalled as a kid being brushed off after asking him for an autograph. Abdul-Jabbar might freeze out a reporter if they touched him, and he once refused to stop reading the newspaper while giving an interview. Abdul-Jabbar had spent most of his career with
3726-568: A period of deteriorating racial tensions will culminate in the apocalypse. NOI members have repeatedly claimed that this apocalypse is imminent; Farrakhan for instance predicted that the Gulf War of 1990 would spark it, while Tynetta Muhammad predicted it would occur in 2001. According to Nation teaching, the apocalypse will come when the Mother Plane appears above the Earth and transports
3888-597: A religious dimension. It regards African Americans, or black people more broadly, as the Chosen People, espousing a cosmology in which the black race is superior and the white race inferior. We want our people in America whose parents or grandparents are descendants from slaves to be allowed to establish a separate state or territory of their own, either on this continent or elsewhere. We believe that our former slave masters are obligated to provide such land and that
4050-412: A reserved attitude towards media attention (since he did not have to deal with it as a star at UCLA) before he softened up near the end of his career. Abdul-Jabbar said: "I didn't understand that I also had affected people that way and that's what it was all about. I always saw it like they were trying to pry. I was way too suspicious and I paid a price for it." However, he believes it was his reputation as
4212-401: A scene in which a little boy looks at him and remarks that he is in fact Abdul-Jabbar, spoofing the appearance of football star Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch as an airplane pilot in the 1957 drama that served as the inspiration for Airplane! , Zero Hour! Staying in character, Abdul-Jabbar states that he is merely Roger Murdock, an airline co-pilot; the boy continues to insist that Abdul-Jabbar
4374-490: A slender giant, standing 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall while weighing around 240 to 250 lb (110 to 115 kg), although he bulked to 270 lb (120 kg) in 1986; in his early years, he used that frame for agility and speed while in later years he utilized a bigger frame for trying to guard under the basket. Abdul-Jabbar was famous for his ambidextrous skyhook shot. It contributed to his .559 career field goal percentage, which ranked eighth in NBA history at
4536-831: A victory over the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn) in the final game before the All-Star break . Abdul-Jabbar's play remained strong during the next two seasons, being named to the All-NBA Second Team twice, the All-Defense First Team once, and the All-Defense Second Team once. The Lakers, however, continued to be stymied in the playoffs, being eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in both 1978 (first round) and 1979 (semifinals). The Lakers selected Magic Johnson with
4698-609: A volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona , in 1998. He moved on from coaching in 2013 after unsuccessfully lobbying for open head coach positions with UCLA and the Milwaukee Bucks. On offense, Abdul-Jabbar was a dominant low-post threat. In contrast to other low-post specialists like Wilt Chamberlain or Shaquille O'Neal , he was
4860-608: A yacht that said "Captain Skyhook" to framed jerseys from his career to a Persian rug. At the Forum against Seattle in his final regular season game, every Laker came onto the court wearing Abdul-Jabbar's trademark goggles. At the time of his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most career games played in the NBA . He was also the all-time record holder for most field goals made (15,837) and most minutes played (57,446), as well as most points (38,387) until LeBron James broke
5022-620: Is the Merkabah that appears in the Book of Ezekiel (1: 4–28). It teaches that Allah and many of his scientists live in a magnificent city on the Mother Plane, from which they monitor humanity; Farrakhan has claimed that Elijah Muhammad never died but is resident aboard this ship. The Nation teaches that there are also smaller vessels, "baby planes", docked inside the Mother Ship and that these travel to visit Earth. The Nation teaches that
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5184-407: Is "completely divorced" from mainstream Islam. The two differ in regard to the fundamental ontological divide between humanity and God, as well as God's nature, which for mainstream Muslims is deemed eternal and non-anthropomorphic. Also conflicting with mainstream Islam is the NOI's claim that there is no afterlife; Elijah Muhammad wrote that "when you are dead, you are DEAD". Notions of Heaven ,
5346-467: Is "the greatest", but that according to his father he does not "work hard on defense" and that he does not "really try, except during the playoffs". This causes Abdul-Jabbar's character to snap and break character: "The hell I don't!" He then grabs the boy and snarls that he has "been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA" and been "busting my buns every night!" He instructs the boy: "Tell your old man to drag [Bill] Walton and [Bob] Lanier up and down
5508-442: Is a new religious movement , a black nationalist religion, and an African-American religion. As well as being characterised as an "ethno-religious movement", it has been labelled a social movement . Scholars of religion have also highlighted commonalities between the NOI and UFO religions , with extraterrestrial spaceships featuring in the group's ideas about the forthcoming end of the world. Although they have both employed
5670-575: Is a man and we just cannot make Him other than a man, lest we make Him an inferior one; for man's intelligence has no equal in other than man. His wisdom is infinite; capable of accomplishing anything that His brain can conceive. Elijah Muhammad, Message to the Black Man , 1965 The sociologist of religion David V. Barrett noted that the Nation's theology is "very distinct" and "extremely detailed". The Nation provides conflicting statements about its theology; although it professes commitment to
5832-574: Is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the African diaspora , especially on African Americans . While describing itself as Islamic and using Islamic terminologies, its religious tenets differ substantially from orthodox Islamic traditions . Scholars of religion characterize it as
5994-651: Is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins as a center . Abdul-Jabbar won a record six NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. He was a 19-time NBA All-Star , a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection. He
6156-475: Is held by senior white Freemasons . The NOI's ideas regarding white people have been labelled both racist and racialist . According to the Nation's teachings, Yakub's newly created white race sowed discord among the black race, and thus were exiled to live in the caves of "West Asia", meaning Europe. In this narrative, it was in Europe that the white race engaged in bestiality and degenerated, resulting in
6318-488: Is living in end times . It propounds a distinct eschatology drawing on the Book of Revelation . Central to its view of the apocalypse is a large spaceship, known as the Wheel, the Mother Plane, or the Mother Ship, and which members usually refer to using female pronouns. Elijah Muhammad described this as "a small human planet", claiming that it is half a mile by half a mile in diameter. The Nation teaches that this vessel
6480-593: Is our brother, our central responsibility is with the Black man here in the wilderness of North America". Rather than treating Africa as a homeland, the Nation's origin myths present Mecca as the original home of African Americans; Africa itself is often portrayed in Nation writings as the least desirable of the Original Asiatic lands. The NOI's teachings on gender issues are conservative and patriarchal, promoting strict gender roles for men and women. Emphasis
6642-407: Is placed on the family unit; the Nation maintains that the security of the black family unit is ensured when its members adhere to their gendered duties and responsibilities. Seeking to restore black manhood, the Nation expresses great concern regarding the emasculation of black men, attributing this attitude to the failure of black men to prevent the sexual assault of black women by white men over
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6804-413: Is the third all-time in registered blocks (3,189), which is impressive because this basketball statistic was not recorded until the fourth year of his career (1974). He is one of five players who have led the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season. Abdul-Jabbar combined dominance during his career peak with the longevity and sustained excellence of his later years. A pioneer in using yoga in
6966-557: Is third all-time in both total rebounds (17,440) and blocked shots. ESPN named him the greatest center of all time in 2007, the greatest player in college basketball history in 2008, and the second best player in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan ) in 2016. Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, a best-selling author, and a martial artist , having trained in Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee and appeared in his film Game of Death (1972). In 2012, Abdul-Jabbar
7128-403: The 2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team season, he still holds or shares a number of individual records at UCLA: He is represented in the top ten in a number of other school records, including season and career rebounds, second only to Bill Walton . The Globetrotters offered Alcindor $ 1 million to play for them, but he declined and was picked first overall in the 1969 NBA draft by
7290-635: The Astrodome . In a contest billed as the " Game of the Century ", Cougar forward Elvin Hayes scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds, while Alcindor, suffering from his eye injury, was held to just 15 points as Houston won 71–69, ending UCLA's 47-game winning streak. Hayes and Alcindor had a rematch in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament , where UCLA, with a healthy Alcindor, defeated Houston 101–69 en route to
7452-661: The Baltimore Bullets 4–0 in the 1971 NBA Finals . Alcindor posted 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in Game 4, and he was named the Finals MVP after averaging 27 points per game on 60.5% shooting in the series. During the offseason, Alcindor and Robertson joined Bucks head coach Larry Costello on a three-week basketball tour of Africa on behalf of the State Department . In a press conference at
7614-835: The Boston Celtics in seven games. Robertson, who became a free agent in the offseason, retired in September 1974 after he was unable to agree on a contract with the Bucks. On October 3, Abdul-Jabbar privately requested a trade to the New York Knicks , with his second choice being the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) and his third, the Los Angeles Lakers . He had never spoken negatively of
7776-463: The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca; Elijah Muhammad himself did so three times. The Nation requests that, as a declaration of mental emancipation, new members change any names inherited from slave-owners who owned their ancestors. This is not considered necessary if the new member has a name that is already African in origin. In the NOI's early years, Wallace Fard Muhammad bestowed new names on followers for
7938-521: The Milwaukee Bucks , who were in only their second season of existence. The Bucks had won a coin toss with the Phoenix Suns for the first pick. He was also chosen first overall in the 1969 American Basketball Association draft by the New York Nets . The Nets believed that they had the upper hand in securing Alcindor's services because he was from New York; however, when Alcindor told both
8100-518: The NBA's career scoring record in 1984, and held it until LeBron James surpassed him in 2023. Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor when he played at parochial high school Power Memorial in New York City, where he led their team to 71 consecutive wins. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins , winning three consecutive national championships under head coach John Wooden . Alcindor
8262-613: The Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League in 2002, leading the team to the league's championship that season, but he failed to land the head coaching position at Columbia University a year later. He then worked as a scout for the New York Knicks . He returned to the Lakers as a special assistant coach to Phil Jackson for six seasons (2005–2011). Early on, he mentored their young center, Andrew Bynum . Abdul-Jabbar also served as
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#17327725901568424-605: The monotheistic idea of a single God, its discourse refers to multiple gods, meaning that it can be interpreted as polytheistic . In the NOI's view, each Allah (god) is not an incorporeal spiritual entity but a flesh-and-blood person. These Allahs are anthropomorphic, taking the form of black men, which was the shape that the first Allah consciously adopted. In Nation teaching, the Allahs are not immortal, instead typically living for around 200 to 300 years. They have varying abilities and degrees of power, with each ruling over
8586-555: The 1977 Hanafi Siege, leading to the deaths of two hostages. He was tried and convicted, receiving a sentence of 21 to 120 years in prison. Khaalis died at the Federal Correctional Complex Prison in Butner, North Carolina , on November 13, 2003. The Hanafi Madh-Hab Center is still operating today but is mostly used by Khaalis' descendants. Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam ( NOI )
8748-503: The 6th/7th century Arabian religious leader Muhammad was the final nor the most important messenger of God, instead treating its first two leaders, Fard Muhammad and Elijah Muhammad, as being more important. From mainstream Islamic perspectives, its teachings are heretical , with its theology being shirk ( blasphemy ). Accordingly, some scholars of religion have characterised it as "quasi-Islamic", or referred to it as "Fardian Islam", "pseudo-Islam", or "nontraditional Islam". God
8910-511: The Advancement of Colored People , regarding them as "Uncle Tom Negroes". In contrast to King's calls for non-violent protest against segregation and racial violence, the Nation maintained that self-defence it was a moral obligation for African Americans. The NOI called for the creation of a separate and sovereign African-American nation-state in the southern part of what is currently the United States, with Elijah Muhammad stipulating that
9072-413: The Bucks acquired All-Star guard Oscar Robertson . Milwaukee went on to record the best record in the league with 66 victories in the 1970–71 season , including a then-record 20 straight wins . Alcindor was awarded his first of six NBA Most Valuable Player Awards , along with his first scoring title (31.7 ppg). He also led the league in total points, with 2,596. The Bucks won the NBA title, sweeping
9234-483: The Bucks and the Nets that he would accept only one offer from each team, he rejected the Nets' bid as too low. Sam Gilbert negotiated the contract along with Los Angeles businessman Ralph Shapiro at no charge. After Alcindor chose the Milwaukee Bucks' offer of $ 1.4 million, the Nets offered a guaranteed $ 3.25 million. Alcindor declined the offer, saying: "A bidding war degrades the people involved. It would make me feel like
9396-428: The Lakers clinched the title, and Johnson was named the Finals MVP after recording 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists in the finale. Abdul-Jabbar continued to average 20 or more points per game in the following six seasons. The Lakers won another championship in 1981–82 , but he suffered migraines in the finals , averaging just 18 points per game against Philadelphia. In 14 playoff games, he finished with
9558-404: The Lakers, behind Walton's skillful passing and timely plays. Two minutes into the opening game of the 1977–78 season , Abdul-Jabbar broke his right hand punching Milwaukee's Kent Benson in retaliation to the rookie's elbow to his stomach. Benson suffered a black right eye and required two stitches. According to Benson, Abdul-Jabbar initiated the elbowing, but there were no witnesses and it
9720-502: The NBA Most Valuable Player twice in his first three years. In 1974, Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to their fourth consecutive Midwest Division title, and he won his third MVP Award in four years. He was among the top five NBA players in scoring (27.0 ppg, third), rebounding (14.5 rpg, fourth), blocked shots (283, second), and field goal percentage (.539, second). Milwaukee advanced to the 1974 finals , losing to
9882-497: The NBA, he also credited Bruce Lee with teaching him "the discipline and spirituality of martial arts, which was greatly responsible for me being able to play competitively in the NBA for 20 years with very few injuries". Abdul-Jabbar played in 95 percent of his team's regular-season games during his career, including 80 or more games in 11 of his 20 seasons. Five times he played in all 82 games. After claiming his sixth and final MVP in 1980, he continued to average above 20 points in
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#173277259015610044-591: The NOI also seeks to reclaim what it regards as the historic Muslim identity of the African-American people, with the group's second leader, Elijah Muhammad , stating that "Islam is the natural religion of the Black Nation." The Nation sees itself as part of the Islamic world, and Islamic elements in its practices include the use of the Arabic language, prayers five times a day, and the adoption of
10206-431: The NOI is black nationalist, and has sometimes been perceived as a Black Power political organization. Scholar of religion Mattias Gardell commented that the idea of black unity is "at the very core of the NOI ideology". It seeks to empower black people by giving them a positive self-identity, purging ideas of white superiority, and black inferiority, from its followers. In the Nation's view, black liberation requires
10368-550: The NOI, a position he held until 1957. Muhammad also sent him to Chicago to head the University of Islam . In an interview, Khaalis said, "Elijah once said that I was next in line to him, that it was me, not Malcolm X." In 1959 he appeared on the television documentary The Hate That Hate Produced alongside Malcolm X, but by this time he had already left the Nation, denouncing the personality cult around Elijah Muhammad . At an unknown point following his departure, Khaalis met
10530-482: The Nation appointed its first woman minister, Ava Muhammad, as head of Mosque Number 15 in Georgia. In various cases, Nation women still play an active role in their communities, sometimes challenging established gender norms in the organization. The NOI strictly enforces heterosexual monogamy among its members and encourages sexual abstinence prior to marriage. Members seeking to court another are expected to inform
10692-409: The Nation claims, are a lie used by white Christians to keep black people docile. Instead Elijah Muhammad taught that there is no spiritual realm beyond the material universe, although he also stated that humans could develop parapsychological powers and that he personally had telepathic abilities. The Nation teaches that in the beginning there was nothing but darkness. Then, 76 trillion years ago,
10854-613: The Nation draws influence from both Christianity and Islam while offering profoundly different interpretations of their central scriptures, the Bible and the Quran . Having arising from within a Christian-majority society, the Nation denigrates Christianity, presenting it as a tool of white supremacy . For the group—whose members are commonly called "Black Muslims" —their Islamic identity offers an alternative to mainstream, Christian-dominated American culture. In describing itself as Islamic
11016-447: The Nation labels "white man's religion". The group deems Christianity a tool of white supremacy used to subjugate black people, and expresses the belief that the oppressed (African Americans) and the oppressors (European Americans) cannot share the same god. The Nation claims that in their enslaved state, black people have lost their morality by engaging in sinful behaviour such as fornication and drinking alcohol, something encouraged by
11178-480: The Nation of Islam. Two members of his family survived: his daughter Amina was shot six times and sustained permanent brain damage, and his wife Bibi entered a vegetative state from which she never recovered. Khaalis would care for Bibi at home despite her constant moaning. Following the shooting, the Nation of Islam mocked Khaalis in their newspaper. In protest of the depiction of Muhammad in film and to bring attention to his family's murderers. Khaalis planned and led
11340-471: The Nation uses many standard Islamic terms, it gives them "profoundly different meanings" to those understood by most Muslims. The Nation's views differ from the Five Pillars , which are typically seen as central to Islam; its claims that Allah (God) takes anthropomorphic form and that there is no afterlife differ fundamentally from Muslim teaching. Unlike most forms of Islam, the NOI does not hold that
11502-634: The Nation's leadership would be theocratic , authoritarian, and totalitarian . Unlike the Garveyites and Rastafari who strongly emphasise links between the African diaspora and Africa itself, Elijah Muhammad and the NOI instead focused their attention on the African diaspora in the Americas, rejecting a specifically Pan-African ideology. Elijah Muhammad stated that "where as the Black man in Africa
11664-687: The Nation. During the 1960s, the NOI's places of worship were called both temples and mosques. As well as serving a religious function, these can also be used as a community center, bank, school, and child-care facility. Those attending meetings will sometimes be searched by members of the Fruit of Islam or the Muslim Girl's Training group, who look both for weapons and for objects like cosmetics and cigarettes which are disapproved of. After this, attendees are seen to their seats, usually rows of benches. The sexes are segregated during worship; women on
11826-528: The Original Asiatic Race. Elijah Muhammad for instance referred to "black, brown, yellow [and] red" people as collectively constituting "black mankind", which he then juxtaposed against the "white race". The NOI promotes a story called the myth of Yakub , which received its fullest exposition in Elijah Muhammad's 1965 book Message to the Blackman . In this narrative, Yakub was a black scientist;
11988-528: The Pistons in a four-game sweep in his final season. After winning Game 7 of the 1988 finals, the 41-year-old Abdul-Jabbar announced in the locker room that he would return for one more season before retiring. His points, rebounds, and minutes had dropped in his 19th season, and there were reports prior to the game that he was retiring after the contest. On his "retirement tour" he received standing ovations at games, both home and away, and gifts ranging from
12150-527: The State Department on June 3, 1971, he stated that going forward he wanted to be called by his Muslim name, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, its translation roughly "noble one, servant of the Almighty [i.e., servant of God ]". Abdul-Jabbar remained a dominant force for the Bucks. The following year, he repeated as scoring champion ( 34.8 ppg and 2,822 total points) and became the first player to be named
12312-499: The U.S. should financially support this new country for 20 to 25 years. This is presented as compensation for the unpaid labor of their enslaved ancestors. Farrakhan has also suggested that the countries of Africa should set aside land on that continent for the African diaspora, characterising this as a reparation for the complicity of West African states in the Atlantic slave trade. Gardell suggested that any nation-state formed under
12474-460: The UCLA single-game record held by Gail Goodrich . He averaged 29 points per game during the season and led UCLA to an undefeated 30–0 record and a national championship, their third title in four years. After the season, the dunk was banned in college basketball in an attempt to curtail his dominance; critics dubbed it the "Alcindor Rule". It was not rescinded until the 1976–77 season. Alcindor
12636-672: The United States, stating that he was "trying to point out to the world the futility of winning the gold medal for this country and then coming back to live under oppression." As the NBA did not allow college underclassmen to make an early NBA draft declaration , Alcindor completed his studies and earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in history in 1969. In his free time, he practiced martial arts. He studied aikido in New York between his sophomore and junior year before learning Jeet Kune Do under Bruce Lee in Los Angeles. As of
12798-650: The United States, the Nation of Islam has also established a presence abroad, with membership open only to people of color. In 2007 it was estimated to have 50,000 members. The Nation has proven to be particularly successful at converting prisoners. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League have characterized it as a black supremacist hate group that promotes racism towards white people , antisemitism , and anti-LGBT rhetoric . Muslim critics accuse it of promoting teachings that are not authentically Islamic. The Nation of Islam (NOI)
12960-467: The Year award three times. He had considered transferring to Michigan because of unfulfilled recruiting promises. UCLA player Willie Naulls introduced Alcindor and teammate Lucius Allen to athletic booster Sam Gilbert , who convinced the pair to remain at UCLA. During his junior year, Alcindor suffered a scratched left cornea on January 12, 1968, in a game against California (UC Berkeley) when he
13122-505: The apocalypse, "Peace, joy and happiness will have no end." Those living in this perfect society will eat the finest food and wear clothes of silk interwoven with gold. The NOI has taught that the white ruling elite are aware of this forthcoming apocalypse and that the U.S. exploration of space and the Strategic Defense Initiative are futile attempts to protect themselves against the Mother Plane. Ideologically,
13284-706: The area around Mecca in the Arabian peninsula. The Nation calls this region "East Asia", reflecting its belief that Asia and Africa were once a single continent. It was because they moved into the "jungles of East Asia" (i.e. Africa), Elijah Muhammad claimed, that members of this Original Asiatic Race developed Afro-textured hair . The Nation teaches that the Original Race were Muslims by their intrinsic nature, but that many created heretical deviations such as Hinduism ; some of those who broke Islamic rules were exiled from Asia-Africa to North America, where they became
13446-558: The area must be fertile and minerally rich. Elijah Muhammad, 1965 The Nation is black separatist , rejecting the integration of the black and white races. This racial separatism was at odds with the mainstream civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The Nation was critical of African-American activists who promoted racial integration, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Association for
13608-445: The ball on made baskets, and had him wait at the opposite end of the court on free throws. In what he described as playing a "smarter game" to conserve energy, Abdul-Jabbar sometimes would be the last player to set up on offense by several seconds after staying behind on defense to see if the Lakers scored on a fast break . In 1981, he responded to criticism that he did not hustle: "You have to understand I have to play 42 to 45 minutes
13770-485: The captain of their local Fruit of Islam or Muslim Girls Training branch about their intentions. Men found to have beaten their wives are temporarily suspended from Nation membership. Divorce is frowned upon, but not forbidden. Children are expected to study hard, avoid street culture, and respect their elders. Farrakhan was initially highly critical of rap music because he argued it promoted sexual promiscuity . Although Nation members are allowed to marry non-members,
13932-414: The centuries. It expects men to be providers for their family. Women are expected to act as caretakers of the household and the children, and are cautioned from forming friendships with men. Outsiders often perceive the Nation's women as being victims of male oppression and control. The group's leadership is overwhelmingly male, although several women rose to senior positions during the 1990s; in 1998
14094-594: The city of Milwaukee or its fans, but he said that being in the Midwest did not fit his cultural needs. Two days later in a pre-season game before the 1974–75 season against the Celtics in Buffalo, New York , Abdul-Jabbar caught a fingernail in his left eye from Don Nelson and suffered a corneal abrasion ; this angered him enough to punch the backboard stanchion, breaking two bones in his right hand. He missed
14256-423: The condition. Abdul-Jabbar was well known for his trademark skyhook, a hook shot in which he raised the ball and released it at the highest point of his arm's arching motion. He could shoot the skyhook from up to 16 feet (4.9 m). With his long arms and great height, he released the ball so high that it was difficult for a defender to block without committing a goaltending violation. His body being between
14418-463: The continent's native population. For the Nation, everyone not of West European genetic origin is a descendant of the Original Asiatic Race. In contrast to understandings of race held by most Americans, for the Nation, "black" does not simply mean those of Sub-Saharan African genetic descent, but all people of color , including Asians, North Africans, and Native Americans. Even some Eastern Europeans, such as Albanians , are considered descendants of
14580-604: The course of its history. The Nation is a highly centralized, hierarchical, and authoritarian movement. Unlike practitioners of Rastafari , a contemporary of the NOI which shares many of its key concerns, members of the Nation do not exhibit considerable variation in their approach to the religion, displaying a high degree of uniformity and conformity among followers. Despite this, not all members have believed all of its teachings implicitly, and there are also members who have privately broken its rules on personal behavior and lifestyle. Having no specific holy text of its own,
14742-893: The court for 48 minutes." When Murdock loses consciousness later in the film, he collapses at the controls wearing Abdul-Jabbar's goggles and yellow Lakers' shorts. In 2014, Abdul-Jabbar and Airplane! co-star Robert Hays (character Ted Striker) reprised their Airplane! roles in a parody commercial promoting Wisconsin tourism. Abdul-Jabbar has had numerous other television and film appearances, often playing himself. He has had roles in movies such as Fletch , Troop Beverly Hills and Forget Paris , and television series such as Full House , Living Single , Amen , Everybody Loves Raymond , Martin , Diff'rent Strokes (his height humorously contrasted with that of diminutive child star Gary Coleman ), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Scrubs , 21 Jump Street , Emergency! , Man from Atlantis , and New Girl . Abdul-Jabbar played
14904-414: The creation of the first Allah, rather than a product of evolution , the Nation endorses a form of creationism and believes dinosaurs to be a hoax created by white scientists. According to Nation teaching, one of the god-scientists was a renegade and, 66 trillion years ago, tried to destroy the Earth with explosives. The resulting explosion forced a chunk of the Earth's mass into orbit, where it became
15066-402: The defender and the ball made it further difficult to block, as did extending his non-shooting arm to fend off opponents. He was stronger shooting the skyhook with his right hand than he was with his left, which he developed in his later years. According to Abdul-Jabbar, he learned the move in fifth grade after practicing with the ambidextrious Mikan Drill and soon learned to value it, as it
15228-421: The devil In the Nation's teachings, the ruling Allah permitted the white race to rule the Earth for 6000 years, a period that came to an end in 1914. It claims that the ruling Allahs allowed this so that the black race would discover humanity's inner potential for evil and learn how to defeat it, thus enabling them to realize their inner divine capacity and become gods. The NOI claims that over 6000 years ago
15390-415: The dunk was banned. In his final college years, he often released the ball several feet above the rim . Abdul-Jabbar won a record six MVP awards. His 38,387 career points remained the NBA's career scoring record until February 7, 2023, when he was surpassed by LeBron James of the Lakers in Los Angeles. Abdul-Jabbar attended the game, and passed the game ball to James during the in-game ceremony after
15552-513: The emergence of apes and monkeys. To help the whites develop, the ruling Allah then sent prophets to them, the first of whom was Musa ( Moses ), who taught the whites to cook and wear clothes. According to the Nation, Jesus was also a prophet sent to try and civilise the white race. The group reject the Christian belief that Jesus was a unique manifestation of God, that he was the Messiah ,
15714-542: The eye during preseason in 1974. He continued wearing them for years until abandoning them in the 1979 playoffs. He resumed wearing goggles in October 1980 after being accidentally poked in the right eye by Houston 's Rudy Tomjanovich . After years of being jabbed in the eyes, Abdul-Jabbar developed corneal erosion syndrome , occasionally experiencing pain when his eyes dry up. He missed three games in December 1986 due to
15876-553: The first 16 games of the season, during which the Bucks were 3–13, and returned in late November wearing protective goggles. On March 13, 1975, sportscaster Marv Albert reported that Abdul-Jabbar requested a trade to either New York or Los Angeles, preferably to the Knicks. The following day after a loss in Milwaukee to the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar confirmed to reporters his desire to play in another city. He averaged 30.0 points during
16038-468: The first Allah willed himself into being, taking 6 million years to form into his desired appearance; that of a black man. In this account, this god chose his skin color in reference to the blackness from which he had emerged. The first Allah then created the Sun and the planets, as well as fellow black gods, who lived predominantly on the Earth but also on Mars . Of these, the first Allah and 23 others formed
16200-836: The first ever NBA player to sign a sneakers endorsement deal with Adidas in 1978. He went on to become the first ever player overall with a signature shoe shortly after. In 2014, UCLA Bruins wore "The Blueprint" Crazy 8 against Colorado on Feb. 13, and the shoes were sold online and at an Adidas store in New Orleans —during NBA All-Star weekend—starting on Feb. 14. Playing in Los Angeles facilitated Abdul-Jabbar's trying his hand at acting. He made his film debut in Bruce Lee 's 1972 film Game of Death . In 1980, Abdul-Jabbar played co-pilot Roger Murdock in Airplane! He has
16362-548: The first overall pick of 1979 NBA draft . They had acquired the pick from the New Orleans Jazz (later Utah) in 1976, when league rules required that they compensate Los Angeles for their signing of free agent Gail Goodrich . The addition of Johnson paved the way for the Lakers' Showtime dynasty of the 1980s, appearing in the finals eight times and winning five NBA championships. While less dominant than in his younger years, Abdul-Jabbar reinforced his status as one of
16524-653: The following six seasons, including 23 points per game in his 17th season at age 38. He earned first-team All-NBA selections that were 15 years apart and Finals MVPs 14 seasons from each other. Among the most graceful basketball players ever, Abdul-Jabbar is regarded as one of the best centers ever and one of the greatest players in NBA history; he was voted the best center of all time by ESPN ahead of Wilt Chamberlain in 2007, and ranked No. 4 in Slam ' s "Top 100 Players Of All-Time" in 2018, and No. 3 in ESPN's list of
16686-424: The greatest basketball players ever, adding an additional four All-NBA First Team selections and two All-Defense First Team honors. He won his record sixth MVP award in his first season with Johnson in 1979–80 . In the 1980 finals , Abdul-Jabbar averaged 33.4 points in five games, spraining his ankle in Game 5, but returning to finish the contest with 40 points and leading the team to a win. He missed Game 6, when
16848-541: The group stipulates that they should only marry other black people, claiming that sex with white women emasculates black men. Birth control methods are criticised as an attempt by the white establishment to lower the black birthrate, although Farrakhan stated support for abortion in cases of rape, incest or where the woman's life is endangered by the pregnancy. Same-sex relationships are condemned as immoral; Farrakhan for instance banned gay men from his Million Man March , bringing accusations of homophobia against him and
17010-629: The group. Following Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, his son Warith Deen Mohammed took over the organization, moving it towards Sunni Islam and renaming it the World Community of Islam in the West . Members seeking to retain Elijah Muhammad's teachings re-established the Nation of Islam under Louis Farrakhan 's leadership in 1977. Farrakhan has continued to develop the NOI's beliefs, for instance by drawing connections with Dianetics , and expanding its economic and agricultural operations. Based in
17172-522: The idea that "God is man and man is God, that God has a presence inside human individuals," with Elijah Muhammad espousing the view that "all Muslims are Allahs". Accordingly, the NOI teaches that the black race, in its natural state, is divine, a "nation of Gods". According to the NOI's teachings, "knowledge of self" is key for black people to realize their inner divinity. The NOI thus teaches that by following its teachings, its adherents can recognize their inner godliness. The Nation of Islam's theology
17334-516: The inaugural game at the Bruins' new Pauley Pavilion . The 1965–66 varsity team was the two-time defending national champions and the top-ranked team in preseason polls. The freshman team won 75–60 behind Alcindor's 31 points and 21 rebounds . It was the first time a freshman team had beaten the UCLA varsity squad. The varsity had lost Gail Goodrich and Keith Erickson from the championship squad to graduation, and starting guard Freddie Goss
17496-502: The leadership of the NOI was assumed by Elijah Muhammad . He expanded the NOI's teachings and declared Fard Muhammad to be the latest Allah. Attracting growing attention in the late 1950s and 1960s, the NOI's influence expanded through high-profile members such as the black nationalist activist Malcolm X and the boxer Muhammad Ali . Deeming it a threat to domestic security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation worked to undermine
17658-421: The league in rebounding (16.9), blocked shots (4.12), and total minutes played (3,379). His 1,111 defensive rebounds remains the NBA single-season record (defensive rebounds were not recorded prior to the 1973–74 season ). He earned his fourth MVP award, becoming the first winner in Lakers' franchise history, but missed the post-season for the second straight year as the Lakers finished 40–42. After acquiring
17820-542: The league's top scorers. In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career, during which time the team won five NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the Showtime era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career, his teams reached the playoffs 18 times and got past the first round 14 times; his teams reached the NBA Finals ten times. At
17982-649: The ministers, who may also read verses from either the Bible or Qur'an. In the late 1950s, Elijah Muhammad published a prayer manual outlining how his followers should pray five times a day; this involved an ablution beforehand. He stipulated that these prayers should be in English, although commented that in future he would explain how to do so in Arabic. In later articles, he explained that his followers should face towards Mecca as they pray, symbolising their journey toward
18144-648: The moon. One of the 13 tribes was trapped on the moon, where they died due to lack of water. The Nation also maintains that 15,000 years ago, the god-scientists wrote down knowledge of the future in a text, the Mother Book, parts of which have passed down in the Torah , Gospels , and Quran. Of the twelve tribes that remained on Earth, the most resilient was the Tribe of Shabazz; they settled in Egypt's Nile Valley and
18306-668: The most durable players of all time. He began a year-around conditioning program at age 26. While in Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar started doing yoga in 1976 to improve his flexibility, and was notable for his physical fitness regimen. He said: "There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga." Because of his metabolism, he had difficulty putting on weight. Prior to the 1979–80 season, he gained 10 pounds (4.5 kg) from 240 to 250 pounds (110 kg) after switching from free weights to Nautilus equipment. He also switched that offseason from tai chi to yoga. To reduce wear during his later years, Riley did not have him inbound
18468-426: The national championship. UCLA limited Hayes, who was averaging 37.7 points per game, to only ten points. Wooden credited his assistant Norman for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes. Sports Illustrated ran a cover story on the game and used the headline: "Lew's Revenge: The Rout of Houston." As a senior in 1968–69 , Alcindor led the Bruins to their third consecutive national title. During
18630-506: The numbers don't lie, then Kareem is the greatest ever to play the game." In 2013, Julius Erving said: "In terms of players all-time, Kareem is still the number one guy. He's the guy you gotta start your franchise with." In 2015, ESPN named Abdul-Jabbar the best center in NBA history, and ranked him No. 2 behind Michael Jordan among the greatest NBA players ever. While Jordan's shots were enthralling and considered unfathomable, Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook appeared automatic, and he himself called
18792-691: The playoffs, the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals, setting up a confrontation with the Portland Trail Blazers . The result was a memorable matchup, pitting Abdul-Jabbar against a young, injury-free Bill Walton . Although Abdul-Jabbar dominated the series statistically, Walton and the Trail Blazers (who were experiencing their first-ever run in the playoffs) swept
18954-399: The police killing of black youths, that they flooded black-majority areas with drugs, and that they created AIDS to exterminate black people. The Nation is also openly critical of U.S. aggression towards countries with non-white and Muslim majorities, and in keeping with its ethos has adopted an anti-Zionist position regarding Israel. The NOI is millenarian , believing that humanity
19116-518: The previous NBA record for seasons played of 16, held by Dolph Schayes , John Havlicek , Paul Silas , and Elvin Hayes . Prior to the 1986–87 season , he gained 13 pounds (5.9 kg), reaching close to 270 pounds (120 kg), to compete against the growing number of 7-footers (2.1 m) in the league. The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals in each of his final three seasons, defeating Boston in 1987, and Detroit in 1988. The Lakers lost to
19278-401: The record in 2023. In 1995, Abdul-Jabbar began expressing an interest in coaching and imparting knowledge from his playing days. His opportunities were limited despite the success he enjoyed during his playing days. During his playing years, Abdul-Jabbar had developed a reputation for being introverted and sullen. He was often unfriendly with the media. His sensitivity and shyness created
19440-407: The record was broken. Abdul-Jabbar held the scoring mark for nearly 39 years, the longest span in league history. His skyhook is considered one of the most unstoppable shots ever. He won six NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards, was voted to 15 All-NBA and 11 All-Defensive Teams, and was selected to 19 All-Star teams, a record which stood until it was surpassed by James in 2024. Abdul-Jabbar
19602-452: The restoration of black greatness. The most important date in the Nation's year is February 26, Saviours' Day , which is believed to be the birthday of Fard Muhammad. This is the date on which the organization holds its annual national convention. Under Farrakhan, the Nation has also held a second Saviour's Day each year, on October 7, to mark the birth of Elijah Muhammad. In addition to marking festivals, NOI members are encouraged to make
19764-399: The right and men on the left. The tone of Nation services is sombre and quiet. Services typically begin with the statement " As-salamu alaykum " (peace be upon you), with the congregation responding "Wa 'alaikum As-salam" (and also upon you). Meetings at the mosque are both opened and closed with prayers, and the Nation's "national anthem" may be played. A lecture will be provided by one of
19926-474: The righteous to live upon it. It will then use the baby planes to bury bombs beneath the Earth's surface, which will explode and wipe out the old, white-dominated order. The Earth's atmosphere will then burn for 390 years and spend another 610 cooling down. Once the Earth has returned to a habitable state, the ruling Allah will return the righteous to live on the planet, in a new black paradise. In his book The Supreme Wisdom , Elijah Muhammad claimed that after
20088-400: The same name, the Nation of Islam has represented two distinct organizations: the first group was established by Wallace Fard Muhammad in the 1930s and existed until 1975, after which the second organization was created by Louis Farrakhan in the late 1970s. Farrakhan's second Nation bears some distinct differences from its predecessor, reflecting how the Nation's teachings have shifted over
20250-408: The season, but Milwaukee finished in last place in the division at 38–44. In 1975, the Lakers acquired Abdul-Jabbar and reserve center Walt Wesley from the Bucks for center Elmore Smith , guard Brian Winters , blue-chip rookies Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman , and cash. In the 1975–76 season , his first with the Lakers, he had a dominating season, averaging 27.7 points per game and leading
20412-500: The series against Boston. He was initially outplayed in Game 1, scoring 12 points with three rebounds against 30-year-old Celtics center Robert Parish , who had 18 points and eight rebounds in a 148–114 win over the Lakers, dubbed the "Memorial Day Massacre". At the team's film session the following day, Abdul-Jabbar—who normally sat near the back—was seated in the front row, and accepted all of head coach Pat Riley 's criticism. Before Game 2, Abdul-Jabbar asked if his father could ride on
20574-405: The series. Malone had 27 offensive rebounds, which nearly equaled Abdul-Jabbar's total rebounds (30). On the road against Utah on April 5, 1984, Abdul-Jabbar broke Chamberlain's record for most career points in the NBA . He received a pass from Johnson and scored from 15 feet (4.6 m) on his patent skyhook over the 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) shot-blocking specialist Mark Eaton . The game
20736-401: The shot "unsexy". In 2016, Abdul-Jabbar's only recognized rookie card became the most expensive basketball card ever sold (the record has since been surpassed) when it went for $ 501,900 at auction. In 2022, he 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 . Abdul-Jabbar was also
20898-422: The summer of 1968, Alcindor took the shahada twice and converted to Sunni Islam from Catholicism . He adopted the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though he did not begin using it publicly until 1971. He boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics , deciding not to try out for the U.S. Olympic basketball team , who went on to win the gold medal. Alcindor was protesting the unequal treatment of African Americans in
21060-505: The team bus to the game. Typically a hard-liner on rules, Riley agreed to make an exception. Abdul-Jabbar bounced back with 30 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks in a 109–102 victory. In the Lakers’ four wins, he averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 blocks. The title ended the Celtics' streak of eight consecutive championships against the Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar played in his 17th season in 1985–86 , breaking
21222-444: The time of his retirement at age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's regular season career leader in points (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), and personal fouls (4,657). He remains the all-time leader in minutes played and field goals made. He ranks second in career points and field goal attempts, and
21384-487: The time of his retirement, and reputation as a feared clutch shooter. He shot above 50% in every season but his last. Abdul-Jabbar maintained a dominant presence on defense. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team eleven times. He frustrated opponents with his superior shot-blocking ability and denied an average of 2.6 shots a game. He was not an aggressive rebounder, relying more on his size as
21546-437: The top 74 NBA players of all time in 2020, the best center ever ahead of Bill Russell and Chamberlain. League experts and basketball legends frequently mentioned him when considering the greatest player of all time. Riley said in 1985: "Why judge anymore? When a man has broken records, won championships, endured tremendous criticism and responsibility, why judge? Let's toast him as the greatest player ever." In 2023, as James
21708-473: The white race. The whites lacked inner divinity, and were intrinsically violent; they overthrew the Tribe of Shabazz and achieved global dominance. Setting itself against the white-dominated society of the United States, the NOI campaigns for the creation of an independent African-American nation-state, and calls for African Americans to be economically self-sufficient and separatist . A millenarian tradition, it maintains that Fard Muhammad will soon return aboard
21870-406: The whites began to dominate the world, achieving this using treacherous tactics that the Nation calls "tricknology". As part of this, the whites enslaved the Tribe of Shabazz, shipping many of them to the Americas through the Atlantic slave trade. The NOI claims that most enslaved blacks forgot their true names, their Arabic language, and their Muslim identity, instead embracing Christianity, which
22032-440: The whites. In making thus argument, the NOI equates the United States with the city of Babylon as presented in the Bible. The Nation thus understands the modern subjugation of African Americans as part of an ancient white conspiracy. The group interprets many of the problems facing African Americans in this light; Farrakhan for instance claimed that the white establishment encouraged a black gang culture to provide an excuse for
22194-531: The word "Hanafi," which means "rightly guided" and refers to the followers of Muhammad. In December 1960, Khaalis briefly returned to Chicago and personally appealed to Elijah Muhammad to take the shahada and convert to Sunni Islam. When this was denied, Khaalis founded a separate organization with the legal name American Social Federation for Mutual Improvement, Inc. In 1968, he was arrested for attempted extortion but released on grounds of mental illness. The same year, militant blacks at Howard University formed
22356-447: Was 22 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (57 cm) long. Always very tall for his age, he was already 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) by the age of nine. Alcindor was often depressed as a teenager because of the stares and comments about his height. By the eighth grade (age 13–14), he had grown to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and could already dunk a basketball. Alcindor began his record-breaking basketball accomplishments when he
22518-481: Was "the only shot I could use that didn't get smashed back in my face". He also watched Cliff Hagan shoot the hook with the St. Louis Hawks . To prevent his hook from being blocked from behind, he was advised by Wooden to do away with the typical sweeping motion of a hook shot, instead keeping the ball close to his body and shooting with a straighter motion. Abdul-Jabbar's hook shot improved in his junior year at UCLA, after
22680-509: Was a member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, and was twice voted the NBA Finals MVP . He was named to three NBA anniversary teams ( 35th , 50th , and 75th ). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he has been called the greatest basketball player of all time by many of his contemporaries such as Pat Riley , Isiah Thomas , and Julius Erving . Abdul-Jabbar broke
22842-515: Was a record three-time most outstanding player of the NCAA tournament . Drafted with the first overall pick by the one-season-old Milwaukee Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft , he spent six seasons with the team. After leading the Bucks to their first NBA championship at age 24 in 1971, he took the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Using his trademark skyhook shot, he established himself as one of
23004-515: Was a talented jazz drummer and played with Bud Powell , Charlie Parker , Max Roach , Billie Holiday , and J.J. Johnson in New York City. He was accepted to Columbia University , but his G.I. Bill funds expired after just one semester without the ability to finish his degree. Further applications were denied, which was a typical experience for black men attempting to make use of the G.I. Bill. Although he remained high-functioning in everyday life and excelled at jazz and his undergraduate studies, he
23166-631: Was a three-time national player of the year (1967–1969), a three-time unanimous first-team All-American (1967–1969), played on three NCAA basketball champion teams ( 1967 , 1968 , and 1969 ), was honored as the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament three times, and became the first-ever Naismith College Player of the Year in 1969. He was the only player to win the Helms Foundation Player of
23328-415: Was also the co-executive producer of the 1994 TV film The Vernon Johns Story . He has also made appearances on The Colbert Report in a 2006 skit called "HipHopKetball II: The ReJazzebration Remix '06", and in 2008 as a stage manager who is sent out on a mission to find Nazi gold. Abdul-Jabbar also voiced himself in a 2011 episode of The Simpsons titled " Love Is a Many Strangled Thing ". He had
23490-488: Was awarded the title of NBA Rookie of the Year . In the series-clinching game against the Philadelphia 76ers , he recorded 46 points and 25 rebounds. He was the second rookie to score at least 40 points and 25 rebounds in a playoff game, the first being Wilt Chamberlain . He also set an NBA rookie record with 10 or more games of 20+ points scored during the playoffs, tied by Jayson Tatum in 2018. The next season,
23652-672: Was born in North Carolina but came to Harlem as part of the Great Migration . Ferdinand Sr. was the child of immigrants from Trinidad ; his uncle was the Black activist and medical pioneer Dr. John Alcindor . Alcindor grew up in the Dyckman Street projects in the Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan , which he moved to at the age of 3 in 1950. At birth, Alcindor weighed 12 lb 11 oz (5.75 kg) and
23814-506: Was going to be black rage personified, Black Power in the flesh", he said. Alcindor was not able to play professionally in the NBA out of high school. At the time, the league only accepted players beginning with the year that they could have hypothetically graduated from college. His other options to play basketball professionally would have been to join the Harlem Globetrotters or play overseas. However, Alcindor's goal
23976-422: Was in high school, where he led coach Jack Donohue 's Power Memorial Academy team to three straight New York City Catholic championships, a 71–game winning streak, and a 79–2 overall record. This earned him "The Tower from Power" nickname. His 2,067 total points were a New York City high school record. The team won the national high school boys basketball championship when Alcindor was in 10th and 11th grade and
24138-406: Was named to the NBA's 35th , 50th , and 75th anniversary teams . He averaged 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game in his career, including three straight seasons where he averaged at least 30 points and 16 rebounds, and six times he averaged at least 27 points and 14.5 rebounds in the same season. He is ranked as the NBA's third leading all-time rebounder (17,440). He
24300-436: Was not captured on replays. Abdul-Jabbar, who broke the same bone in 1975 after he punched the backboard support, was out for almost two months and missed 20 games. He was fined a then-league record $ 5,000 but was not suspended. Benson missed one game but was not punished by the league. The Lakers were 8–13 when Abdul-Jabbar returned. He was not named to the 1978 NBA All-Star Game , the only time in his 20-year career he
24462-462: Was not selected to an All-Star Game. Chicago's Artis Gilmore and Detroit's Bob Lanier were chosen as reserves for the West, with Walton starting at center. Amid criticism from the media over his performance, Abdul-Jabbar had 39 points, 20 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers the day the All-Star rosters were announced. He added 37 points and 30 rebounds in
24624-522: Was on the verge of breaking the NBA career scoring record, Abdul-Jabbar remained as Riley's choice as the greatest: "We don't win championships without the greatest player in the history of the game, who had the greatest weapon in the history of the game. The skyhook was unstoppable. Last minute of the game, it's going to one guy". As president of the Miami Heat , Riley had won two NBA titles with James on their roster. Isiah Thomas remarked: "If they say
24786-487: Was out sick. After the game, UPI wrote: "UCLA's Bruins open defense of their national basketball title this week, but right now they're only the second best team on campus." The freshman team was 21–0 that year, dominating against junior college and other freshman teams. Alcindor made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 1966 and received national coverage. Sports Illustrated described him as "The New Superstar" after he scored 56 points in his first game, which broke
24948-602: Was played at the Thomas & Mack Center , one of 11 home games for the Jazz in the Las Vegas Valley that season. The contest drew 18,389 fans, the Jazz's largest home crowd since moving from New Orleans before the 1979–80 season. Abdul-Jabbar won his second Finals MVP in 1985 , when he became the oldest to win the award at 38 years and 54 days old. He averaged 25.7 points, 9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in
25110-402: Was relegated to the freshman team in his first year with the Bruins, as freshman were ineligible to play varsity until 1972. The freshman squad included Lucius Allen , Kenny Heitz , and Lynn Shackelford , who were fellow high-school All-Americans . On November 27, 1965, Alcindor made his first public performance in UCLA's annual varsity–freshman exhibition game, attended by 12,051 fans in
25272-526: Was runner-up his senior year. He had a strained relationship in his final year with Donohue after the coach called him a nigger . Alcindor wrote for the Harlem Youth Action Project newspaper. The Harlem riot of 1964 , which was prompted by the fatal shooting of 15-year old black boy James Powell by a New York police officer, triggered Alcindor's interest in racial politics. "Right then and there, I knew who I was, who I had to be. I
25434-521: Was selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a U.S. global cultural ambassador . In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom . Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. was born in Harlem , New York City , the only child of Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr., a transit police officer and jazz musician. Cora
25596-420: Was struck by Tom Henderson in a rebound battle. He missed the next two games against Stanford and Portland . His cornea would again be scratched during his pro career, which subsequently caused him to wear goggles for eye protection. On January 20, the Bruins faced coach Guy Lewis 's Houston Cougars in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game, with 52,693 in attendance at
25758-504: Was the main contributor to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses: one to the University of Houston in which Alcindor had an eye injury, and the other to crosstown rival USC who played a "stall game"; there was no shot clock in that era, allowing the Trojans to hold the ball as long as it wanted before attempting to score. They limited Alcindor to only four shots and 10 points. During his college career, Alcindor
25920-468: Was the product of a virgin birth, or was crucified and resurrected. God say you're the real devil. And you damn sure are. Ain't another devil nowhere else. Ain't no use you get mad with me, white people. You are the devil. The only hell-raiser on the earth. I'm not sayin' that you are responsible, 'cause you are made devil. But I'm not gonna make a mistake in thinkin' that you can be made better through love. Louis Farrakhan’s views on white people being
26082-408: Was to attend college. Recruited by hundreds of schools, he was the most sought-after prospect since Wilt Chamberlain . Southern teams that were segregated were willing to break the color line to acquire Alcindor. He chose to attend the University of California, Los Angeles , after being recruited by Bruins assistant coach Jerry Norman . By now 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) tall, Alcindor
26244-491: Was unable to find stable employment because of his schizophrenia diagnosis. Influenced by the popularity of Islam in the New York jazz scene, Khaalis joined the Nation of Islam and, in accordance with the group's rejection of "slave surnames," changed his name to Ernest 2X (also going by Ernest X or Ernest XX McGee). In 1954, at the suggestion of Malcolm X , Elijah Muhammad named Khaalis the National Secretary of
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