Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Interview (page: 6 / 8) Basketball Scoring Champion	Print Interview

You have written a book about the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and '30s. What is the importance to you personally of the Harlem Renaissance?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Well, for me the Harlem Renaissance epitomizes the pinnacle of the efforts of black people to contribute to American life. I think that the aspirations of the participants in the Harlem Renaissance were such that we should know about it. I think especially young black people today should use that as a template for what they can do with their lives. They can use it as a means to see what their aspirations can bring forward. The poetry of Langston Hughes, the music of Duke Ellington, the social commentary of people like W.E.B. DuBois, all of these are things that made a difference in America and made a difference in black life. I think that is something that our young people should learn about.
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You have written about the importance of jazz in your life. What does jazz mean to you? Why is it important to you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Jazz, to me, is important because it is an expression of joy. It is an expression of people who, even though they were living in oppressive circumstances, were not going to take the negativity as the last statement on all circumstances, that things could change and that hope certainly was part of the process, and that change was -- even more than being possible -- inevitable.

Is that what it is about? A sense of possibility, a sense of hope against obstacles?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A sense of hope against obstacles, and a sense of joy when those obstacles are overcome, and that every little victory can be celebrated in the moment.

I think you've said in your book that jazz even helped you become a better basketball player. How is that?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Certainly music helps you to do things with more joy, and just what you learn about timing and harmony, and your reaction to the choices that the people around you make, which is part of the jazz experience. All those things can help an athlete.

You hear the sportscasters talk about athletes or things being in rhythm or out of rhythm. Is there a beat, is there a tempo, is there a rhythm going through your head when you are out there on the court?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: There is a certain group dynamic that happens with a jazz band, and it's the same thing that happens on the playing field. What the group is trying to do in their efforts to achieving that goal, that's something that is shared, and it is something that the team has to be aware of collectively. They have to act as a unit. They can't just do it all as individuals. That cohesion of the unit makes for great team play, and it also makes for great music.
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This might be an unfair question, but what do you consider your greatest achievement so far?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: My greatest achievement, I think, has been being a successful parent, sending my kids to school. They are all college grads. They understand who they are, where they are, and have made a good statement with their lives. I think that has been the best thing that I have done.

When you were growing up, what influenced you? What were the important things in your life, whether they were individuals or books or events or music?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think I certainly enjoyed seeing the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series in 1955. That was a very special moment. I will never forget that. Playing on the city championship team for three years in a row in high school, that was very special for me, something I enjoyed. Doing well at UCLA both as a student and as an athlete, that was very important to me. Doing well as a professional basketball player, being consistent, and being able to make the All Star team and be the Most Valuable Player in the league, that is something I am proud of as a personal achievement.

Was there a book you read as a young man that enlightened you in some way, that inspired you or challenged you?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: I think The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley, really inspired me to know more and to emulate the positive growth that Malcolm X went through. He started out on a very negative path. He was a thief and someone involved in the underworld, and he grew out of that. His exposure to the teachings of the Nation of Islam made him want to change, and then when he saw that the Nation of Islam had some problems, he put that behind him, and through Islam -- orthodox Islam -- he found a better path, and he never stopped trying to improve himself and increase his knowledge. I think that is a great example for anyone.
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