When Dancing With the Stars revealed the 2018 cast [1] would be made up of all athletes, they promised it would be the most competitive season yet. And with one of the world's greatest athletes on the roster [2] — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — it certainly won't disappoint. The former NBA star, who towers at 7-feet, 2-inches over his 5-foot-4 dance partner Lindsay Arnold, is ready to take on the dance floor. Here's everything you need to know about Kareem:
He Played Professional Basketball For 20 Seasons
The 70-year-old former basketball player made a name for himself as a center for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1969 to 1974. He then played for the LA Lakers from 1975 until 1989. He played a total of 20 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1989.
ESPN Voted Him the Greatest Center of All Time
When Kareem retired, he was the NBA all-time leader in points scored at 38,387, games played at 1,560, and minutes played at 57,446. ESPN voted him the greatest center [3] of all time in 2007, and in 2016 named him the second best player in the history of the NBA after Michael Jordan [4].
He Was Named a Global Cultural Ambassador
But it's not just his impressive basketball stats that's made him an icon; in 2012, he was selected to be a US global cultural ambassador by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "It's a great opportunity for me, just to connect with them on these issues and present some insights into what is possible and what has happened here in America," Kareem told [6] The New York Times in 2012 about his six-day assignment in Brazil. In 2016, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
He's a Best-Selling Author
Kareem has written more than a dozen books, including autobiographies, historical works, novels, children's books, and even a graphic novel. Kareem wrote his first book, an autobiography titled Giant Steps [7], in 1983 with co-author Peter Knobler. Some other works include On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance [8], cowritten with Raymond Obstfeld, and Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, World War II's Forgotten Heroes [9], cowritten with Anthony Walton.
One of his children's books, titled What Color is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors [10], won the NAACP award for Best Children's Book in 2013. In November 2017, Kareem released another autobiography titled Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court [11].