Perhaps no one has been a better ambassador for the Los Angeles Lakers and sport of basketball than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who continues to follow the team regularly.
Abdul-Jabbar won six championships during his Hall of Fame career and was the NBA’s all-time scoring leader until last February, when he was passed by current Lakers star LeBron James.
James fought and battled through 20 seasons to become the NBA’s leading scorer, and Abdul-Jabbar was on hand the night his record was broken, sharing an iconic moment of handing the game ball to the new all-time scoring leader at Crypto.com Arena.
The two legends have had their differences in the past by Abdul-Jabbar was happy to be there and support James.
Unfortunately, the 76-year-old is now dealing with a sudden health scare as TMZ reported that Abdul-Jabbar was hospitalized on Friday night after falling and breaking his hip:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took a nasty spill at a concert in Los Angeles — and the NBA legend ended up in the hospital with a broken hip, TMZ has learned.
His rep, Deborah Morales, tells us … Kareem was attending the show Friday night — but it was unclear who was performing and where. Anyway, the former Lakers star center accidentally fell to the floor, shattering his hip.
Paramedics quickly responded and transported Kareem to the hospital for treatment. His condition was not disclosed.
Abdul-Jabbar was as tough as they came in his playing days and it seems that remains the case to this day as he appears to be doing well despite the fall:
Based on what his rep is saying, it sounds like Kareem is going to be OK.
While it’s great to see that Abdul-Jabbar is expected to make a full recovery, the Lakers family will surely put their arms around him and his family during this time.
Abdul-Jabbar has dealt with some other health issues in recent years, notably revealing his battle with prostate cancer in 2020 and chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008.
Hopefully he is able to make a quick recovery and make it back out to Lakers games at Crypto.com Arena as soon as possible, back in his usual courtside seat supporting the team.
LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as all-time minutes leader
In addition to passing Abdul-Jabbar in scoring, James would also go on to pass him as the NBA’s all-time minutes leader combining regular and postseason.
James is in his 21st NBA season and still going strong, recently leading the Lakers to the NBA’s first-ever NBA Cup by winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas.
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