Kareem Abdul-Jabbar falls and breaks hip at Los Angeles concert
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was undergoing surgery for a broken hip Saturday after falling at a concert in Los Angeles.
The NBA Hall of Famer was attending a show Friday night when he was injured. Paramedics at the undisclosed venue responded and the 76-year-old was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
His business partner, Deborah Morales, declined to provide a further update Saturday and referred only to a statement posted on Abdul-Jabbar’s social media.
“We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem,” it said.
Abdul-Jabbar was a key player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ teams during their “Showtime” era in the 1980s, leading them to five NBA championships. He was a six-time NBA MVP.
The 7-foot-2 center was the NBA’s career-scoring leader until being passed by current Laker LeBron James in February. Abdul-Jabbar owned the mark for 39 years.
He starred at UCLA, when he was known as Lew Alcindor and was a three-time national player of the year under coach John Wooden.
Abdul-Jabbar disclosed in 2020 that he had prostate cancer. In 2009, he said he had been diagnosed the previous year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer.
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