The Courage of Kareem

I will probably stay up late tonight to watch Lebron try to break the record. I used to be a Lebron hater too, but my love and respect for him has grown over the past decade. Lebron has somehow exceeded the extremely high expectations set for him when he was a teenager. Who does that? He went to the Finals eight years in a row and, in 2016, he did something MJ never did. He led his team to a title against a far superior opponent. I also appreciate that Lebron speaks out, from time to time, on the issues that matter most. Another thing MJ never did. 

What about Kareem though? It’s unfortunate that he’s consistently left out of the debate over who’s the greatest of all time. His sky hook was unstoppable – and he played until he was 42. He would have scored a lot more points if he left college early. Instead, he led UCLA to three championships in a row. It’s hard to believe, but Kareem has even more haters than Lebron. Because he’s stayed true to his convictions – no matter how unpopular they’ve been. 

A few months after Dr. King was murdered, Kareem declined an invitation to play for the US Olympic team because he did not want to signal support for the way Black people were treated in the country he loved. Instead, he spent the summer in his native New York teaching kids how to play basketball and trying to inspire them to stay in school. Kareem’s courage, on and off the floor, then and now, is a model for us all.