Kareem Abdul-Jabbar addressed media before the Lakers game against the Bucks regarding how he hopes to develop a bond with the new scoring king LeBron James
on Tuesday, joining the current Lakers forward on the court, raising the game ball and handing it over in a symbolic in-game ceremony. It was a warm moment in a mostly icy relationship that Abdul-Jabbar hopes can thaw in years to come.
Abdul-Jabbar, who lamented that Wilt Chamberlain wasn’t in attendance when he established the scoring record in 1984, wrote in anon Wednesday that he blamed himself for not establishing a relationship with James earlier. He noted their age difference; the year Abdul-Jabbar established the scoring record was the same year that James was born.
Before taking his courtside seat for Thursday’s pregame ceremony honoring the new scoring champion, Abdul-Jabbar gave fist bumps to a group of young fans standing near the baseline. He sat down courtside and watched as James addressed the crowd, recalling the Little Tikes basketball hoop he received for Christmas in 1988 and how his mother’s $20 gift became the “biggest investment in the history of mankind.
“As I got older and older … I always felt it was my job and my responsibility to play the game at a high level and be as great as I can be because there is a kid in the inner city somewhere that’s looking for inspiration and that’s going to need it and maybe get it from me.”
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