Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explains why he and LeBron James don’t have a relationship
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watched – from the front row -Tuesday night as LeBron James broke his record for NBA’s career scoring leader.
A day later the former Lakers center wrote about what has been perceived as a rocky relationship between the two basketball icons.
In a blog post entitled, “What I Think About LeBron Breaking My NBA Scoring Record,” he jumped into a number of issues, but none more fascinating than the topic of his relationship with James.
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First and foremost, he celebrates his record being broken.
Furthermore, when it comes to his relationship – or lack thereof – with James, he blames himself.
“LeBron said we don’t have a relationship. He’s right—and for that I blame myself. Not for anything I did, but perhaps for not making more of an effort to reach out to him. 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, Michael Cooper, Jerry West, and so on.
“I think the main reason that I never formed a bond with LeBron (again, entirely my fault) is simply our age difference. I established my scoring record in 1984—the year LeBron was born. When he started to make a name for himself, I was already pretty removed from the NBA world. Except for certain gala events, I was just like any other fan, watching games on my TV in my sweatpants while munching on too many unhealthy snacks.
“That disconnect is on me. I knew the pressures he was under and maybe I could have helped ease them a bit. But I saw that LeBron had a friend and mentor in Kobe Bryant and I was just an empty jersey in the rafters. I couldn’t imagine why he’d want to hang with someone twice his age. How many do?”
It is a well-written, in-depth perspective from a man who admits he would rather be playing with his grandchildren than anything. It is a rare look into a man who keeps mostly to himself.
Check it out here.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.