Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the men's basketball GOAT

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest men's basketball player of all time. He is without doubt the GOAT.

The 7’2” (218cm) centre should also be in the conversation as the greatest NBA player of all-time too but that debate, outside of career and individual accomplishments, is measured more on emotion, fandom and SportsCenter highlights.

Today, it’s either Team Michael Jordan or Team LeBron James. 

It leaves little room for rational debate about any other players, who are more than qualified, to be in the conversation: Abdul-Jabbar; Wilt Chamberlain; Magic Johnson; Kobe Bryant; Larry Bird; Shaquille O’Neal; Hakeem Olajuwon; Tim Duncan; and with growing mythology Stephen Curry.

Jordan v LeBron is a legitimate debate — but only for the title of the NBA’s GOAT. Both don't even even come close to challenging Abdul-Jabbar’s status as men's basketball’s greatest of all-time.

Abdul-Jabbar was so dominant in college, the NCAA banned dunking, which came into effective before the 1967–68 college season, coincidently following his sophomore year.

The "Lew Alcindor Rule" (Dunking Ban):

What was the rule? In 1967, the NCAA prohibited dunking during games. This rule was unofficially known as the "Lew Alcindor Rule" because it was widely believed the NCAA implemented the change because of Kareem’s dominance. At 7'2", Kareem used his size and athleticism to dunk frequently and effectively, which was seen as almost unstoppable. The NCAA claimed the ban was concerns about injuries and the damage dunking caused to basketball rims. 

Sure, sure.

In response, Kareem went to work on the most iconic shot in basketball history — the Skyhook — a high-arching over the shoulder shot that became his signature move throughout his career. The Skyhook was virtually impossible to block, and it allowed Kareem to remain as dominant as ever, even without being able to dunk.

Despite the ban, Kareem still averaged 26.4 ppg and 15.5 rebounds.

Abdul-Jabbar’s resume as a winner at all levels is unparalleled and will never be replicated:

High School (Power Memorial Academy, 1963-65)

Overall Record: 79–2

Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, was a New York City phenomenon. He led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships from 1963 to 1965, including a 71-game winning streak.

College (UCLA Bruins, 1966–1969)

Overall Record: 88–2

Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach John Wooden. He won three consecutive NCAA championships (1967, 1968, 1969) and was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player all three years. UCLA’s dominance during his period included a 47-game winning streak despite the ban on dunking.

Ultimate winner

Just pause for a moment to consider his record between 1963 and 1969. Abdul-Jabbar’s high school and college team’s went 167-4. 

97.6%  — a winning percentage that is truly remarkable. The second of his two college losses. It was at the hands of the Elvin Hayes’ University of Houston in front of 52,000 fans, the first nationally televised NCAA game, in January 1969. Abdul-Jabbar had a scratched cornea. They lost by two: 71-69.

NBA (Milwaukee Bucks 1969–75, Los Angeles Lakers 1975–89)

Overall Record: 1074–702 (Regular Season)

Kareem played 1,560 regular season games in his career and won 1,074, a winning percentage of 60.5%.

Playoffs  — Overall Record: 154–76 (Playoffs)

Abdul-Jabbar’s teams made the playoffs 18 times in his career and won 154 out of 230 (67%) games.

Abdul-Jabbar’s career win shares is still No.1 at 273.4, the next best is LeBron at 254.2 while Michael Jordan is ranked five at 214. Abdul-Jabbar led the league in Player Efficiency Rating for an entire decade (1970-80) at 27.67, slightly under Jordan’s career PER at 27.91.

Abdul-Jabbar’s career box score numbers were elite:

• 24.6 points per game
• 11.2 rebounds per game
• 3.6 assists per game
• 55.9 field goal percentage

Abdul-Jabbar’s career numbers were equally elite:

• 38,387 points (2nd)
• 17,440 rebounds (3rd)
• 5,660 assists (1st among centres)
• 3,189 blocks (3rd)
• 1,160 steals (3rd among centres)

Let’s compare these NBA career numbers directly with Jordan and LeBron.

At first glance — and rightly called out — both Jordan and LeBron score(d) at a higher clip but they are and were ball dominant. Abdul-Jabbar was a rim-to-rim big that averaged a career double-double … over 20 years in the pros averaging 78 games a season … flying domestic, including the back end of his career when his numbers declined significantly without today’s sports science to protect his body.

Career accomplishments

Basketball is a team sport, therefore team success must be the No1 criteria in any debate: how much did the player’s team win; but individual accomplishments are a close second, ie: What did said player contribute and using this criteria, Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career was nothing short of GOAT spectacular.

• 6 x NBA Champion
• 6 x NBA MVP
• 15 x All-NBA Team
• 11 x All-NBA Defensive Team
• 2 x NBA Finals MVP
• 19 x All Star
• 2 x NBA Scoring Champion
• 1 x leading rebounder 
• 4 x leader in blocks
• 1969-70 Rookie of the Year

Michael Jordan career accomplishments

• 6 x NBA Champion
• 5 x NBA MVP
• 6 x NBA Finals MVP
• 11 x All-NBA Team
• 10 x NBA Scoring Champion
• 9 x All-Defensive
• 1 x Defensive Player of the Year
• 3x All-Star MVP
• 3 x Steals Champ
• 1984-85 Rookie of the Year

LeBron James’ accomplishments

• 4 x NBA Champion
• 4 x NBA MVP
• 4 x NBA Finals MVP
• 6 x All-Defensive
• 20 x All Star
• 3 x All-Star MVP
• 1 x NBA Scoring Champion
• 1 x Assists Leader
• 20 x All-NBA Team
• 2003-04 Rookie of the Year

Head to head to head in the NBA, all three have resumes that qualify them to be labelled the GOAT. It’s hard to argue against Michael Jordan given his sustained personal and team success, especially in the 90s while LeBron’s sustained greatness over two decades is nothing short of extraordinary. Kareem should be in the conversation for the NBA’s greatest of all time but the noise around MJ and Lebron is too loud given Abdul-Jabbar’s career was largely played before the “highlight reel” nor did he often provide the spectacular, athletic play that got fans giddy with excitement.

In high school, Michael was famously cut while LeBron was nothing short of “man against boys” averaging 27.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He led St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to three state championships, rivalling Abdul-Jabbar’s high school career.

In college, Michael averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game at North Carolina between 1981-84. The Tar Heels went 88-13, won a national championship while LeBron jumped straight from high school to the NBA. 

In comparison, Abdul-Jabbar averaged a career double-double in both college and the NBA from 1966 to 1989 — that’s a double-double for 24 straight years. Neither MJ or LeBron came close.

Boston Celtics centre and 1980s Showtime rival Robert Parish said of Abdul-Jabbar: "Kareem is the best player I ever played against, period. The best thing I could ever say about Kareem is that no one ever devised a defence that could stop him. He figured out a way to exploit every defensive scheme ever thrown at him.”

Magic Johnson said: “The best tactic when playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — just give him the ball. Kareem is the greatest player to ever play the game. No one has accomplished what he has, and he did it with class and grace."

Shaquille O'Neal said: "I always wanted to be like Kareem. He was just a dominating force in basketball with that skyhook, which no one has ever duplicated."

Jordan said: "Kareem was the type of player who played on both ends of the floor. His presence on defence, his ability to score, the way he worked hard to get better — he's truly one of the all-time greats."

Bill Walton said: "Kareem was just incredible. He was so fundamentally sound and had a will to win like nobody else. He’s the greatest winner I’ve ever known."

Charles Barkley said: "You can’t talk about the history of basketball without mentioning Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. What he did for the game, not only on the court but off it, is unmatched."

Adding to his legacy, Kareem auctioned off a significant portion of his memorabilia for charity in 2019. Abdul-Jabbar donated the proceeds to his charity, the Skyhook Foundation, which focuses on helping underserved communities, particularly in providing educational opportunities for children in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).

“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple: sell it all,” he said. “Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold-plated hardware, I’ll take the memories and the love of my family and friends. In the end, that’s all that matters.”

As a full body of work: high school; college; and professional there is absolutely no doubt Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest basketballer of all time and it’s not even close.

About the Author

Peter Brown is the head coach of the Sydney Comets Women’s Youth League team in the Waratah Basketball League in NSW. He is also the assistant coach for the Comets NBL1 women’s team in the NBL East Conference. Peter is a 30-year journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the NT News in the early 1990s. He played junior basketball for the Northern Territory at national championships from U16 to U20 and for the Territory’s senior men’s team at numerous international tournaments. Peter has been a basketball fan since the early 80s, especially the NBA. Basketball is his passion — and his opinions his own. Email peter.brown@basketball.com.au with feedback. Any email feedback on articles sent to Peter can be published on basketball.com.au for others to read.