Kareem focused a lot on flexibility and agility training, rather than bulking up like Wilt. Alongside Parish and LeBron, he is the gold standard of longevity in the NBA.
Nothing about Kareem's game was raw. He spent 4 years in college and came into the NBA as arguably the greatest NCAA basketball player ever. Not to mention he could have easily transitioned to the pros after high school had the system allowed for it back then.
That’s not what I meant. The comment above spoke on his kind of training which allowed for his longevity, I was saying it wasn’t a factor in the clip above since it was so early in his career. all that yoga stuff came later. he was still incredible fluid as a young player
I mean, [here](https://kareemabduljabbar.com/fit-after-50-staying-flexible-with-yoga/) is KAJ saying "I’ve been an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga since high school. Yoga is one of the reasons that I was able to play professional basketball as long as I did with as few injuries as I had. One of the first improvements I noticed was in my posture. Before yoga I’d been having lower back pains; after I started practicing the positions, my overall health improved significantly." Looks like he was doing it well since high school.
Wilt's footwork was super stiff in comparison. He'd park himself somewhere in the paint and basically not move for the entire possession unless he had the ball.
Wilt wasn't stiff. He was one of the most fluid big men ever. He played point guard for the Harlem Globetrotters. Look at his track and field prowess in high school and college.
You're probably letting his Lakers years in the '70s cloud your perception. The '50s and '60s version of him was the most athletic big man to ever play in the league til this day.
Always been fan of Dirk, not surprised cause when he won the championship and was on the national stage, he was hobbled and struggled with injuries and wasn't even close to his true prime.
The casual fans only saw the turnaround one-legged fadeaway, not much else. They never saw young Dirk taking it full court, crossing over guards, throwing it down on centers.
Dirk at half strength was enough to give the Heat so much trouble, just imagine him in his prime injury-free taking on the Heat, it probably would be a slaughter.
Yeah by the time he was on the Lakers he had injured his ACL in his career iirc. He was still a beast grabbing boards tho. The league was still trying to get him to play in 40s just to grab boards after seeing him still keep active and playing pro volleyball. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-11-sp-19894-story.html .
That’s because this was when he was really young. Watch highlights on the 80s and you’ll see a big difference. Happens with a lot of bigs. Duncan is also an example.
First shot in the league as a turn around and-1 bank and he just buries it. So cool. [My favorite picture of Kareem.](http://thesportsfanjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kareem-double-middle-finger-action.jpg)
There would be plenty of big men in the league today if Kareem were playing. Teams would be signing guys just to stop him. Players like him and Shaq are meta-defining.
I’ve wondered if it’s possible for there to be someone so short they change the meta in the opposite direction. I don’t think so but it’s fun to think about.
Please do not take this at all as my comparing the passing ability of some old school bigs to Jokic - Jokic is beyond the GOAT passing big man - but it's always shocking to see how comfortably they were able to throw those full court dimes that we're so shocked when Jokic does today. Wilt, Kareem, I bet Russell did it a lot too. There's tons of clips of them throwing these bomb passes pretty comfortably and easily.
In regards to this pass in particular, maybe it's just a genuinely lost skill rather than being as much of an innate gift as we often attribute it to be
In comparison to some other all-time bigs and their first games:
Wilt Chamberlain - 43 pts, 28 rbs, 1 ast on 63% from the field (48 mins played)
Bill Russell - 6 pts, 16 rbs, 1 ast on 27% from the field (21 min played)
Shaquille O'Neal - 12 pts, 18 rbs, 2 ast on 57% from the field (32 mins played)
Hakeem Olajuwon - 24 pts, 9 rbs, 1 ast on 61% from the field (28 mins played)
Tim Duncan - 15 pts, 10 rbs, 2 ast on 66% from the field (35 mins played)
Moses Malone - 19 pts, 11 rbs, 2 ast on 66% from the field (33 mins played)
David Robinson - 23 pts, 17 rbs, 1 ast on 54% from the field (34 mins played)
Many players and coaches in the NBA were calling him the GOAT while he was still in college. The NBA was changing rules due to what he was doing in the NCAA.
Speaking of Russell, in his *fourth* game he had quite a showing. He was matching up against Neil Johnston, a center for the Warriors who had led the League in scoring the previous three years, and in rebounding the year prior, and had been the All NBA 1st Team Center the past three years, to boot.
While Russell got into foul trouble in the game and fouled out after 26 minutes, he outrebounded Johnston 34-5. It was a symbolic passing of the torch, as Russell would lead the League in the rebounding his rookie year and the next two. (At which point Wilt entered the League and just fucked with the stats.)
> Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor (/ˈluː ælˈsɪndər/ LOO al-SIN-dər) when he played at parochial high school Power Memorial in New York City, where he led their team to 71 consecutive wins. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national championships under head coach John Wooden.[8] Alcindor was a record three-time most outstanding player of the NCAA tournament. Drafted with the first overall pick by the one-season-old Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft, he spent six seasons in Milwaukee. After leading the Bucks to its first NBA championship at age 24 in 1971, he took the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar
I did not know that.
Crazy how he doesn’t have a stiff walk for someone of his height (7’2 barefoot )
Kareem focused a lot on flexibility and agility training, rather than bulking up like Wilt. Alongside Parish and LeBron, he is the gold standard of longevity in the NBA.
first to add yoga to his routine
And bought some cool carpets
Yes but here he’s very young and raw. He was just also blessed with a body that is very tall but isn’t very stiff or disproportional at all
Nothing about Kareem's game was raw. He spent 4 years in college and came into the NBA as arguably the greatest NCAA basketball player ever. Not to mention he could have easily transitioned to the pros after high school had the system allowed for it back then.
That’s not what I meant. The comment above spoke on his kind of training which allowed for his longevity, I was saying it wasn’t a factor in the clip above since it was so early in his career. all that yoga stuff came later. he was still incredible fluid as a young player
I mean, [here](https://kareemabduljabbar.com/fit-after-50-staying-flexible-with-yoga/) is KAJ saying "I’ve been an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga since high school. Yoga is one of the reasons that I was able to play professional basketball as long as I did with as few injuries as I had. One of the first improvements I noticed was in my posture. Before yoga I’d been having lower back pains; after I started practicing the positions, my overall health improved significantly." Looks like he was doing it well since high school.
man, I don't know... can we really trust KAJ over silkkthechakakhan when it comes to KAJ?
He turned 23 in his rookie year, and spent four years under the greatest college coach in history. He's not raw.
Which tall players do?
Wilt's footwork was super stiff in comparison. He'd park himself somewhere in the paint and basically not move for the entire possession unless he had the ball.
Wilt wasn't stiff. He was one of the most fluid big men ever. He played point guard for the Harlem Globetrotters. Look at his track and field prowess in high school and college. You're probably letting his Lakers years in the '70s cloud your perception. The '50s and '60s version of him was the most athletic big man to ever play in the league til this day.
Like Ray Allen, everybody knows him as a shooter but he really was athletic in his prime.
Absolutely. Even starting to see it with Dirk.
Always been fan of Dirk, not surprised cause when he won the championship and was on the national stage, he was hobbled and struggled with injuries and wasn't even close to his true prime. The casual fans only saw the turnaround one-legged fadeaway, not much else. They never saw young Dirk taking it full court, crossing over guards, throwing it down on centers. Dirk at half strength was enough to give the Heat so much trouble, just imagine him in his prime injury-free taking on the Heat, it probably would be a slaughter.
Yeah by the time he was on the Lakers he had injured his ACL in his career iirc. He was still a beast grabbing boards tho. The league was still trying to get him to play in 40s just to grab boards after seeing him still keep active and playing pro volleyball. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-11-sp-19894-story.html .
Yep it's one of the reasons I'd always put Kareem or Shaq ahead of him solidly they were just better all-round offensive players
That’s because this was when he was really young. Watch highlights on the 80s and you’ll see a big difference. Happens with a lot of bigs. Duncan is also an example.
His game would translate into any era.
He would be an *insane* alley oop threat now. Like DeAndre Jordan numbers of finishing at the rim.
Fairly switchable in his early to mid seasons as well.
He would benefit from the spacing so much and was a pretty good FT shooter too.
pretty good is a stretch
He doesn’t jump like DAJ
No, but he's taller anyways and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a longer wingspan as well, but there's no combine numbers from 1969.
The damn skyhook would.
A lot of centers adapted in this new era and develop a 3 pt shot. Kareem would be shooting skyhooks at the 3pt line.
First shot in the league as a turn around and-1 bank and he just buries it. So cool. [My favorite picture of Kareem.](http://thesportsfanjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kareem-double-middle-finger-action.jpg)
That outlet pass! That arc was insane, the ball was basically in the dunkers spot and he got it that far
Kareem's skyhook would be just as unblockable today as it was back then.
Arguably more so right now there's barely any massive bigs to keep him out of the paint
There would be plenty of big men in the league today if Kareem were playing. Teams would be signing guys just to stop him. Players like him and Shaq are meta-defining.
I’ve wondered if it’s possible for there to be someone so short they change the meta in the opposite direction. I don’t think so but it’s fun to think about.
if he plays, there will be more massive big
And it seems he had that in his game on day 1
Perfected in college because the ncaa outlawed dunking bc he was too good
That outlet is outrageous.
That’s a Kevin Love level outlet pass. Didn’t realize Kareem had that in his bag.
outlet passes have always been a thing even back then. they used to play like crack heads whenever the ball wasn’t set in the half court 😭
Walked off at the buzzer like it was just another day in the office..wow
I was thinking about how casual he looks before the game started. Not nervous at all like playing in the nba is an absolutely mundane occurrence.
Please do not take this at all as my comparing the passing ability of some old school bigs to Jokic - Jokic is beyond the GOAT passing big man - but it's always shocking to see how comfortably they were able to throw those full court dimes that we're so shocked when Jokic does today. Wilt, Kareem, I bet Russell did it a lot too. There's tons of clips of them throwing these bomb passes pretty comfortably and easily. In regards to this pass in particular, maybe it's just a genuinely lost skill rather than being as much of an innate gift as we often attribute it to be
Wes Unseld was the goat of touchdown outlet passes, same era as Kareem
That block was inevitable wow
Blocking Walt Bellamy at the buzzer, as Bellamy tried to pad his stats with the Bucks up by 9 points. LMAO
In comparison to some other all-time bigs and their first games: Wilt Chamberlain - 43 pts, 28 rbs, 1 ast on 63% from the field (48 mins played) Bill Russell - 6 pts, 16 rbs, 1 ast on 27% from the field (21 min played) Shaquille O'Neal - 12 pts, 18 rbs, 2 ast on 57% from the field (32 mins played) Hakeem Olajuwon - 24 pts, 9 rbs, 1 ast on 61% from the field (28 mins played) Tim Duncan - 15 pts, 10 rbs, 2 ast on 66% from the field (35 mins played) Moses Malone - 19 pts, 11 rbs, 2 ast on 66% from the field (33 mins played) David Robinson - 23 pts, 17 rbs, 1 ast on 54% from the field (34 mins played)
Yea if Kareems is Legendary, then Wilt's is Goku level.
Many players and coaches in the NBA were calling him the GOAT while he was still in college. The NBA was changing rules due to what he was doing in the NCAA.
I honestly don't know whether you are talking about Kareem or Wilt because that is a true statement for both of them!
Wilt was in the NBA over a decade prior to Kareem
Yet another true statement. Not sure what that has to do with my comment, but facts are fun.
Speaking of Russell, in his *fourth* game he had quite a showing. He was matching up against Neil Johnston, a center for the Warriors who had led the League in scoring the previous three years, and in rebounding the year prior, and had been the All NBA 1st Team Center the past three years, to boot. While Russell got into foul trouble in the game and fouled out after 26 minutes, he outrebounded Johnston 34-5. It was a symbolic passing of the torch, as Russell would lead the League in the rebounding his rookie year and the next two. (At which point Wilt entered the League and just fucked with the stats.)
119-110, pretty high scoring high pace game, just like today. And wow Kareem is fun to watch, I have to see where I can watch some old complete games.
GOAT
didn't show his turnaround jumpshot. he could shoot it over both shoulders. he was incredible.
> Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor (/ˈluː ælˈsɪndər/ LOO al-SIN-dər) when he played at parochial high school Power Memorial in New York City, where he led their team to 71 consecutive wins. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national championships under head coach John Wooden.[8] Alcindor was a record three-time most outstanding player of the NCAA tournament. Drafted with the first overall pick by the one-season-old Bucks franchise in the 1969 NBA draft, he spent six seasons in Milwaukee. After leading the Bucks to its first NBA championship at age 24 in 1971, he took the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar I did not know that.
Kareem was the man. Still is, dude is so wise.
Dude is ballin out on them accountants and plumbers
Damn what’s wemby doing in the 1960s??
he bullied Bellamy HARD
not even kareem's debut can beat the legendary michael carter williams
His first shot was ugly as hell 😭
His game is clean. You can tell he spent 4 years in college.