Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Lack of Relationship with LeBron James 'Entirely My Fault'
After watching LeBron James break his all-time NBA scoring record Tuesday night, Los Angeles Lakers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took responsibility for not having much of a relationship with the new scoring king.
In an article on Substack on Wednesday, Abdul-Jabbar wrote that it is "entirely my fault" for not being closer with LeBron.
Kareem referenced the age gap between himself and James as one reason for not reaching out more. He also said he's a reserved, quiet person who typically doesn't go out of his way to reach out to people he isn't already close with.
Abdul-Jabbar expanded a bit on that point, writing:
"By nature I have never been a chummy, reaching-out kind of guy (as the media was always quick to point out). I'm quiet, shy, and am such a devoted homebody that you'd think I have agoraphobia. I like to read, watch TV, listen to jazz. That's pretty much it. For the past 15 years my focus has been less on forming new relationships than on nurturing my old friendships with people like Magic [Johnson], Michael Cooper, Jerry West, and so on."
Kareem suggested that there is a disconnect between himself and current players since he retired in 1989 and became the NBA's all-time leading scorer in 1984, which was the same year James was born. However, Abdul-Jabbar acknowledged that it might have been proper for him to reach out to LeBron and "ease" some of the pressure he was under in his pursuit of the scoring record.
Abdul-Jabbar referenced LeBron's recent comments when he was asked about his relationship with the Lakers legend. James' response was simple and pointed: "No thoughts, and no relationship."
Kareem has been critical of James at times, including last year when he referred to James' celebration after hitting a three-pointer in overtime against the Indiana Pacers as "childish" and an act of "disrespect."
Around that same time, Abdul-Jabbar also took issue with James sharing a meme that suggested COVID-19, the flu and the common cold were all the same thing.
Despite their differences and their frosty relationship, Abdul-Jabbar made sure he was present Tuesday when James broke his scoring record late in the third quarter of a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a two-point fadeaway:
That basket gave James one more career point than Kareem at 38,388. He finished the game with 38,390 career points.
Abdul-Jabbar also took part in a proverbial passing-of-the-torch moment by handing a basketball to LeBron at half court.
While Kareem made it clear that he knows things between him and James could be better, he also insisted that he was happy and honored to see LeBron break his record, which stood for nearly 40 years.
