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Kareem Abduel-Jabbar. Kareem Abduel-Jaabar. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2017.

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Kareem was born on April 16, 1947 in New York City.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabaar wasn't always names Kareem Abdul-Jaabar. His birth name was Lewis Alcindor. "Everyone called me Lew" (1).

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Kareem was born in the black community of Harlem. He was raised in an apartment project that consisted of 7 buildings, with 14 stories in each building, and 12 apartments on each floor totaling to 1,176 apartments all in a small, crowded city. Kareem didn't experience much racism because the apartments were full of different ethnicities. "Our neighbors formed a mini United Nations of Russians, Scandinavians, Jews, Irish, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans, along with about 15 percent black residents" (3).

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Kareem's first coaches were his parents. They both had 1 goal for him, and that was education. His parents were strict and expected straight A's in the report card. "Together they had one goal for Team Lewis Alcindor: Education!" (9).

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Kareem didn't have a super good relationship with his dad. His dad barley talked much to him. One day when they played basketball, Kareem's dad didn't go easy on little Kareem and shoved him with determination to the net, sacking Kareem like a dummy. Kareem expected his dad to teach him how to play and have a good time learning, but the lesson that day was a reminder to Kareem who the man of the house was (16).

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Kareem's parents sent him to a boarding school called the Holy Providence Boarding School. It was a Catholic run school. Before boarding school, Kareem was a goofy, and full of love boy. But in the boarding school, Kareem was bullied for his skin color. He learned to play basketball by himself at the school because the basketball court was the only place he felt safe from the bullies. Kareem left the school as a different person. He was frustrated and mad at his parents for sending him there. "When my parents picked me up from school, they immediately commented on how I had changed. I was sullen, didn't smile, didn't talk. They were right, and I blamed them for the change" (23-31).

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Kareem's fist basketball coach was Coach Farrell Hopkins. He was a kind coach who actually taught Kareem how to play basketball. "Coach Hopkins didn't single me out for special treatment; he was that supportive of all the boys" (40).

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Kareem was not new to the hook shot at the time because he had done it at Holy Providence. Kareem was stood out for his hook shot in high school and college. "That's how my shot became famous as '"the Skyhook'" (41).

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At this time, Kareem was 6 foot 10 at the age of 14. He excelled in his education and worked hard during basketball practice after school. "The practices were so exhausting that I barely had time to think about anything else" (59).

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Kareem grew up in a time of racism. During Kareem's freshman year, Ku Klux Klan members showed up to his school. There were gunshots and fire everywhere. "As the Klans men were about to lynch the battered students, highway patrolmen fired warning shots sin the air, stopping them" (53). Later on, Kareem meets with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

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Kareem Abul-Jaabar was elected a scholarship from UCLA.

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In 1968, Kareem converts from Catholicism to Muslim. A factor making Kareem not want to stay as a Catholic, was the fact that at his old church, the Irish Catholic kids always called Kareem the n-word.

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After leading the UCLA into its 3rd straight NCAA title, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks as the first pick in the NBA draft.

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Kareem marries Janice "Habiba" Brown on May 28, 1971.

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Kareem legally changes his name from Lewis Alcindor to Kareem Abdul-Jaabar after winning the NBA championship in 1971. Many fans were furious with Kareem's decision. "Reporters wrote nasty things, fans wrote outraged letters, and some people even threatened to kill me. My parents were shocked and hurt by my rejection of their name. My teamates were confused; some felt personally betrayed. Despite all that, I knew I had made the right choice because I was, after all those years, finally who I wanted to be" (3-4). Kareem Abul-Jaabar means "noble servant of God." He changed his name because his old name was the name of a white slaveholder who abused many of his ancestors.

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Kareem goes to Harvard to study Arabic in 1972.

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Kareem and Janice have a baby named Habiba in 1972. The name Habiba is a female Islamic name.

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Kareem seperates with Janice in 1973.

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Kareem goes to the Lakers in a trade.

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Kareem ends up having a son named Kareem in 1976 and another daughter named Sultana in 1979. Kareem divorces Habiba in 1977.

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Kareem and the Los Angeles Lakers win 5 more NBA championships. Kareem and Magic Johnson won these championships together.

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Kareem Abudl-Jaabar retires in 1989 at the age of 42.