What was the early life of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading up to his being signed by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1968-69 like? The six-time MBA Most Valuable Player reveals (with the assistance of co-author Raymond Obstfeld) what the first 21 tears of his life were like in Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court.
Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. in 1947, Abdul-Jabbar was an only child whose parents stressed the importance of getting good grades and developing his sports talent. Abdul-Jabbar’s early life in school and basketball in New York City was not easy; besides being the tallest kid in his class, he also had to deal with racism and an educational system that downplayed or otherwise ignored the historical contributions and achievements of African Americans. Only through basketball could he work out his frustrations and build up his self-esteem.
The book chronicles Abdul-Jabbar’s playing for the Power Memorial Academy high school and his subsequent playing for the UCLA Bruins in the late 60s. Along the way, he’s mentored by UCLA Coach John Wooden and finds inspiration from friends like Wilt Chamberlain, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Bill Russell. He also gets to briefly meet Martin Luther King, Jr., while also becoming more and more influenced by The Autobiography of Malcolm X and other works that lead him to convert to Islam and adopt his present name.
Told in an easygoing, conversational style, Becoming Kareem is a great coming-of-age story that will appeal to all readers.
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