25 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes for Elevated Game

Lace up your sneakers and get ready to take it to the hoop with our Kareem Abdul-Jabbar quotes. 

Aside from being a generational talent in collegiate and professional sports, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has influenced people worldwide to be their best. 

Check out our Kareem Abdul-Jabbar quotes below! 

Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a Hall of Fame basketball player, actor, author, champion, MVP, and humanitarian. 

Check out these cool facts about Kareem below: 

• Kareem played for twenty seasons in the NBA.
• Kareem won six championships as a player and two as an assistant coach. 
• He was named the MVP six times and made the All-Star team nineteen times! 

Was Kareem the greatest player of all time?

The Greatest Of All Time, or GOAT title, is one that fans will never agree on. 

Sports are powerful because they allow everyone to have their opinion. 

Some people determine the greatest of all time by the number of championships they won. 

Others use the scoring title as their measure of greatness. 

Still, others take a holistic approach to the game and consider many factors when determining who is the greatest of all time. 

What makes Kareem unique is that no matter how you measure greatness, he excels in every metric of being the best! 

Recently, Kareem was in the news because someone overtook him as the all-time scoring leader in the NBA for the first time in almost forty years. 

Lebron James surpassed Kareem as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. 

Kareem was in attendance at the game when Lebron won the title.

He gave Lebron the game ball during a beautiful ceremony where multiple generations of NBA players watched and cheered. 

How many films has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar been in? 

Kareem Abdul Jabbar has led an adventurous life. 

He has been everything from college champion to NBA champion and even a bonafide actor!

Kareem has made several appearances in over twenty big movies. 

Many fans remember him for his hilarious role as “The Captain” in Airplane. 

One of his most iconic roles was his appearance in Game of Death with superstar martial artist Bruce Lee. 

Kareem and Lee were good friends. 

Jabbar was one of Lee’s disciples at his martial arts academy. 

To learn more, check out our Kareem Abdul-Jabbar quotes below.

Short Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

As a champion on every level, The Captain knows a thing or two about winning 

1. “Yoga is just good for you.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

2. “One man cannot make a team.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3. “If not shown appreciation, it gets to you.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

4. “You can’t win if you don’t play as a unit.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

5. “You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes about Traveling and Politics

Jabbar has never shied away from sharing his opinion, even if it means going against the grain. 

6. “Music is really something that makes people whole.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

7. “I just like seeing the world, and it doesn’t matter where.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

8. “My choosing Islam was not a political statement; it was a spiritual statement.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

9.“I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

10. “It’s hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Top Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes About Life and Success

Kareem has been through a lot, and his perceptions of life are insightful. 

11. “Good thoughts are no better than good dreams unless they are executed.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

12. “I can do something else besides stuff a ball through a hoop. My biggest resource is my mind.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

13. “I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

14. “Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

15. “A lot of players think the game is all about individual performances when it’s really all about a team game.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The Best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes on Parenting and Fundamentals

As a parent of five successful children, Kareem has excellent insight into child-rearing. 

16. “As a parent, I have a job as a role model to my children, and by extension, to other young people.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

17. “When we went up against teams that were better, I just hoped that we could steal the victories.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

18. “Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

19. “A lot of players think the game is all about individual performances when it’s really all about a team game.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

20. “OK, I’ll put it like this: I doubt if we will see another All-American basketball athlete who is a Rhodes Scholar.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Inspirational Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

As a Hall of Famer, Jabbar has always subscribed to excellence. 

21. “Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

22. “Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

23. “With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court

24. “Don’t hope. Hope is for people who aren’t prepared.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court

25. “More important is becoming a man of convictions. Lasting joy comes from that.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court

Was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blackballed from the NBA?

Kareem is the most decorated and accomplished basketball player of all time. 

He won championships on all levels of competition. 

He created the only unstoppable move in basketball history. 

Yet, he has never had a head coaching opportunity and was even ranked number seven in 2003 in Slam Magazine’s all-time NBA player list. 

How can this be?

Many people attribute Kareem’s lack of coverage or appreciation by the media to his distrust and adversarial relationship with the press. 

Kareem is intelligent and has never held back his thoughts and opinions on dishonest or racist media coverage. 

Many believe this is why he has not been supported or given professional basketball opportunities after retiring. 

What is your favorite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar memory?

Do you have a favorite Kareem quote?

If so, please let us know in the comments section below.