“Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don't relate to.”
Sports
“In athletics there's always been a willingness to cheat if it looks like you're not cheating. I think that's just a quirk of human nature.”
NatureAll Quotes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
“I want to do as little as possible when I finish playing ball - just spend a lot more time with my family.”
Family“This is what I would have done if I had to have a real job: I would have been a history teacher.”
History“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.”
Time“My grandfather and my uncle both died from colorectal cancer, my dad almost died from it and I have the gene for it.”
Dad“Music is really something that makes people whole.”
Music“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.”
Movies“I am highly offended by the total lack of acknowledgement of my contribution to Laker success.”
Success“The '80s made up for all the abuse I took during the '70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.”
Change“Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.”
Equality“I have been coaching recently. I coached high school basketball in Arizona, and I hope that more opportunities become available.”
Hope“I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.”
History“I would suggest that teachers show their students concrete examples of the negative effects of the actions that gangsta rappers glorify.”
Teacher“A lot of young players don't really know much about the history of the game and a lot of them are missing out on what the game is all about, especially the whole concept of sportsmanship and teamwork.”
History“I didn't really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.”
Home“My health is fine.”
Health“When I was a kid, no one would believe anything positive that you could say about black people. That's a terrible burden.”
Positive“I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis. That's not normal, even for my age.”
Age“The type of leukemia that I am dealing with is treatable. So if I do what my doctors tell me to do - get my blood checked regularly, take my meds and consult with my doctor and follow any additional instructions he might make - I will be able to maintain my good health and live my life with a minimum of disruptions to my lifestyle.”
Health“You can't win unless you learn how to lose.”
Sports