Top 80 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

The game has basically not changed since I ended my career.

I have to say I have an incredible musical education because of my father.

If not shown appreciation, it gets to you.

Your mind is what makes everything else work.

My grandfather and my uncle both died from colorectal cancer, my dad almost died from it and I have the gene for it.

When we went up against teams that were better, I just hoped that we could steal the victories.

I didn’t really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.

I’m the baddest among the bad guys.

My biggest accomplishment has been making a transition from athlete to author.

I listen to jazz mainly. Mainstream jazz.

My most memorable moment came in 1985 as we beat the Boston Celtics.

The ’80s made up for all the abuse I took during the ’70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.

In athletics there’s always been a willingness to cheat if it looks like you’re not cheating. I think that’s just a quirk of human nature.

The word ‘leukemia’ is a very frightening word. In many instances, it’s a killer and it’s something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you’re going to beat it.

I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.

I felt that a number of people might have questioned my loyalty, but I continue to be a patriotic American.

Music is really something that makes people whole.

I think race has been a burden for black Americans. Being Muslim has also been a challenge because so many people do not understand Islam.

I’m still my parent’s child, I’m still me, but I made a choice. I evolved into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I think it has to do with evolution.

I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.

OK, I’ll put it like this: I doubt if we will see another All-American basketball athlete who is a Rhodes Scholar.

As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit.

As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit.

Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.

I wanted to play baseball!

I would suggest that teachers show their students concrete examples of the negative effects of the actions that gangsta rappers glorify.

When the doctor told me I had cancer, I was scared.

Yoga is just good for you.

Your mind is what makes everything else work.

I’ve always tried to stay out of the fray and not be an object of controversy.

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.

Black people don’t have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted.

I’ve never been a person to share my private life, but I can help save lives.

I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis. That’s not normal, even for my age.

Today’s youth are told to get rich or die trying and they really shouldn’t take that attitude forward with them.

I pitched and I played the outfield.

The transition was difficult. It’s hard to stop something that you’ve enjoyed and that has been very rewarding.

High school dropouts are forfeiting their opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

I think race has been a burden for black Americans. Being Muslim has also been a challenge because so many people do not understand Islam.

When the line started to blur between the fans and the players, sometimes things can get ugly.

Music rhythms are mathematical patterns. When you hear a song and your body starts moving with it, your body is doing math. The kids in their parents’ garage practicing to be a band may not realize it, but they’re also practicing math.

I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.

You can’t win if you don’t play as a unit.

Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.

I just like seeing the world, and it doesn’t matter where.

I need about three seats lengthwise to sleep on a plane. It’s not easy for me to curl up.

I want to do as little as possible when I finish playing ball – just spend a lot more time with my family.

If not for the success that medicine has made, I might be part of a much different story right now.

Center is a very tough position to play.

The word ‘leukemia’ is a very frightening word. In many instances, it’s a killer and it’s something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you’re going to beat it.

I was a baseball fan myself, I wanted to play baseball.

It’s hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.

Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.

If not for the success that medicine has made, I might be part of a much different story right now.

A team will always appreciate a great individual if he’s willing to sacrifice for the group.

My grandfather and my uncle both died from colorectal cancer, my dad almost died from it and I have the gene for it.

I rooted for the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn.

My biggest accomplishment has been making a transition from athlete to author.

Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don’t relate to.

Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.

You can’t win if you don’t play as a unit.

I think the NBA will certainly survive without Michael Jordan.

When the line started to blur between the fans and the players, sometimes things can get ugly.

I expect more people from China and Asia to end up in the NBA.

I rooted for the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn.

I think someone should explain to the child that it’s OK to make mistakes. That’s how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes.

You got guys now declaring they’re ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It’s crazy! They’re missing so much.

I feel that there has been progress made since I was a boy on matters of race, but we have a long way to go.

I didn’t really seek attention. I just wanted to play the game well and go home.

Reporters used to ask me the same inane questions year-in and year-out, city-to-city, and it would drive me crazy.

Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don’t relate to.

The 3-point shot has created a situation in the game akin to ‘Lotto’ fever.

Music is really something that makes people whole.

A lot of young players don’t really know much about the history of the game and a lot of them are missing out on what the game is all about, especially the whole concept of sportsmanship and teamwork.

The extra pass and the extra effort on defense always get the job done.

I’m the baddest among the bad guys.

Today’s youth are told to get rich or die trying and they really shouldn’t take that attitude forward with them.

I think black Americans expect too much from individual black Americans in terms of changing the status quo.

I feel like I’ve always been a full-time historian, but nobody knows it.