Famous Basketball Player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Tells Why He Became Muslim

The National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six championships and was named its most valuable player six times. He played for 20 seasons in the league.

Abdul-Jabbar spoke to Al Jazeera and told why he became a Muslim:

“The transition from Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not merely a change in celebrity brand name, like Sean Combs to Puff Daddy, but a transformation of heart, mind and soul. I became a Muslim more than 40 years ago, I’m still defending that choice.”

Kareem Abdul Jabbar says he was raised into a Catholic family, and he attended a Catholic school with priests and nuns as a kid. He was first introduced to Islam while he was a freshman at UCLA, that was when he began to study the Quran. In 1971, when he was 24, he chose Islam and took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (meaning “the noble one, servant of the Almighty”).

Kareem Abdul Jabbar says he has always been fulfilled with his decision to convert to Islam. He speaks: “Part of my conversion to Islam is accepting the responsibility to teach others about my religion, not to convert them but to co-exist with them through mutual respect, support and peace.”