Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court

Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court is a 2017 memoir by NBA star and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It traces the author’s youth, beginning with his early childhood and ending in his initial years playing for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Abdul-Jabbar shares stories about his family, schooling, and sports, and he also reveals the personal experiences that prompted him to embrace a new name and religion as a young man. He reflects on the joys and struggles of his childhood in New York City, coming of age as a Black American during the civil rights movement, and creating his own path as a player and person. The memoir explores themes of race, identity, religion, and personal values.

This guide uses the 2017 Kindle eBook edition of this book, published by Hachette Book Group.

Content Warning: This book depicts racial discrimination and racial violence.

Summary

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in 1947 as Lewis “Lew” Alcindor, and he recalls growing up in the 1950s in an ethnically diverse Manhattan housing project. His parents emphasized the importance of education, and he was an obedient and studious child. While his father, a transit cop and talented musician, was very withdrawn, Abdul-Jabbar was closer with his mother, a seamstress, who enjoyed taking him to the movies. However, when he was nine, his parents enrolled him in a Catholic boarding school where he was viciously bullied. He was overjoyed when his parents pulled him out of that school after a year, but his return was tainted when racist kids—including his former best friend, who was white—bullied him. Abdul-Jabbar gradually became more invested in basketball, seeing it as a refuge from his troubles.

As an adolescent, Abdul-Jabbar became interested in the civil rights movement and followed it closely. He was frustrated by his teachers’ and classmates’ apathy toward this issue, so he withdrew socially from his white classmates. Meanwhile, he was excelling at basketball and won a scholarship to a high school in New York. Under his coach, Coach Donahue, he played for the school’s varsity team; they enjoyed immense success and won the city championship. However, one day, Coach Donahue insulted him by referring to him using a racial slur. A devastated Abdul-Jabbar wanted to leave his school and team, but his parents advised him to stick it out, and the team ended the season undefeated.

That summer, Abdul-Jabbar enrolled in a program called the Harlem Youth Action Project that was hosted by the Harlem YMCA. This was a life-changing experience since he got to meet Black mentors and teachers and learn about the history of Black intellectualism, art, and literature. He even had the opportunity to meet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and this inspired Abdul-Jabbar to commit himself to contributing to the Black community.

After high school, Abdul-Jabbar had basketball scholarships to several universities. He chose to attend UCLA because he liked the coach, John Wooden, who cared about his players’ personal and academic growth in addition to their athletics. Coach Wooden would become a major influence in Abdul-Jabbar’s life, inspiring him to work hard and live ethically. During his university years, Abdul-Jabbar was becoming increasingly famous, and he used his burgeoning fame as a platform for his political activism. He met his childhood idol Muhammad Ali, and he publicly supported Ali’s decision to resist conscription into the Vietnam War. Abdul-Jabbar also decided not to play in the 1968 Olympics as a show of solidarity with Black Americans and civil rights activists.

After several championship wins with the UCLA team, Abdul-Jabbar was eager to begin his NBA career and signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. He ended up winning the NBA championship with the Bucks at the age of 24. After this, he publicly revealed that he had converted to Islam and changed his name from Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The author explains why he converted to Islam, citing his African heritage and dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church; this conversion was the result of a deep search for identity. Abdul-Jabbar concludes his memoir by thanking everyone who acted as a coach to him, and he encourages the reader to engage in their own journey of self-development.