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Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Presented by The Hanover Theatre at The Hanover Theatre

October 17, 2010

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is considered by both fans and sportswriters to be the greatest basketball player of all time. The 7-foot-2 Basketball Hall of Fame center dominated the NBA winning six NBA Championships over the span of a twenty-year professional career. The six-time NBA MVP and nineteen-time All-Star displayed grace, agility and versatility through his shot blocking ability and indefensible “skyhook.” Recognized as one of the NBA’s Fifty Greatest Players, he set NBA all-time records in nine categories and remains the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer with 38,387 career points; 6,095 more points than Michael Jordan’s career scoring record. College accolades include three national championships under Coach John Wooden at UCLA and All-American honors. The NCAA has entitled him one of the top 100 scholar athletes of the century. ESPN has called him the “Greatest Collegiant Player of the 20th Century” and Time Magazine has titled him “History’s Greatest Player”.

Abdul-Jabbar’s philanthropic efforts reflect his passion to educate society and give back to the sport that has given him so much. His outspokenness on issues affecting those most in need along with personal donations of time and resources demonstrate his continued efforts to improve lives. In 2010, he founded the “Skyhook Foundation,” a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that mentors aspiring youths from under served communities, by combining sports and education programs.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will speak about what inspired him to write Brothers in Arms, the book about the 761st Tank Battalion from WWII. The 761st was never intended to see battle; as with many African American units at the time, they trained mainly as a public relations gesture to sustain the support of the black community during the war. However, the Allies were so desperate for trained tank personnel in the summer of 1944 that even though General Patton initially opposed their deployment, they were called upon to fight. Heroically, the men of the 761st served on the front for more than six months, despite an extreme shortage of personnel and equipment, suffering nearly 50 percent casualties. Their efforts helped liberate some thirty towns and villages, as well as several branch concentration camps.

This event is FREE and opened to the community. To RSVP to this event, please click http://www.jewishcentralmass.org/page.aspx?id=225185.