Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

Kobe's an incredibly talented athlete, and there are many more like him among today's players.

I think people that are, you know, voting in the blind are doing a disservice to America by not being better informed.

During 1866 and 1922, Native Americans and black soldiers often intermingled in the American west, on the frontier.

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

But people don't know if I can teach the game. I know I can. My experience in Oklahoma was positive. It opened my eyes to how the game is played - the interaction among players, fans and media, how all that works. You have to know about the business of the game and how the actions of players and coaches affect the business. I think I have it down now.

I had a moment like that with Wilt (Chamberlain). He knocked me out of bounds, I came back and faked him, came across the middle and dunked on him.

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

He doesn't necessarily have to learn the sky hook. He just has to learn how to be an effective post player. I think I can help him do that.

Initially when I stopped playing, I had accumulated some burnout.

I wanted to play baseball!

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

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

We all had a lot of fun making the film ["Airplane" ], but there weren't a lot of outtakes or cracking up because we all were focused on doing our jobs in a professional manner.

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

I don't really care who's doing drugs in the NBA as long as the scene isn't adversely affecting my team and teammates. I've known enough drug users-going as far back as grade school and the streets of New York-not to view them as pariahs or lost souls. I've certainly smoked more than my quota of weed.

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

I saw Islam as the correct way to live, and I chose to try to live that way.

The disconnect lasted too long. I think people got the idea I was sullen and couldn't communicate, which wasn't true.

We don't have selfish guys here, which sometimes leads to problems.

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

I've kept in touch with many of my former teammates: Bob Marcucci was our team manager and we bonded over our passion for baseball.

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

I've had enough success for two lifetimes, My success is talent put together with hard work and luck.

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

My biggest resource is my mind.

When you're a coach you've got to go up the ladder, you've got to be ready to travel. That's the nature of coaching

I think the NBA players have to be held accountable in a reasonable way, just like any other professionals.

A lot of players think the game is all about individual performances when it's really all about a team game.

I'm the baddest among the bad guys.

The only reason is that I hadn't seen The Modern Jazz Quartet perform live and a live performance is often where the real experience of jazz takes place. I'm not familiar with the Boswell Sisters.

Center is a very tough position to play.

Elgin's game was an incredible performance, also. I don't think there's any comparison. Elgin did it without three-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his way.

I totally alienated some reporters as I retreated.

We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today's basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.

I am highly offended by the total lack of acknowledgement of my contribution to Laker success.

My choosing Islam was not a political statement; it was a spiritual statement.

One man cannot make a team.

When I traveled through Greece in the '90s, everything [Albert Hoxie] taught me came flooding back and I was able to appreciate the art and culture much more because of him.

I don't know if I was the baddest. People kind of saw me in that light.

I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.

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.

What I learned in my time isn't necessarily being taught now, and I'd like to help impart that knowledge to a new generation of players.

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

I think I did very well against everyone who tried to defend me.

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

There's a ball. There's a hoop. You put the ball through the hoop. That's success.

Ken Heitz got drafted by the Bucks the same year I did. He went to their camp just for the experience, then dropped out to attend Harvard Law School. I always admired his combination of athleticism and brains.

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