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For me, the bold jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis reflected the bold attitude in African-Americans finding their political identity and voice.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Age: 77
Born: 1947
Born: April 16
Actor
Author
Basketball Coach
Basketball Player
Film Producer
Screenwriter
Television Actor
New York City
New York
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor
Jr.
Lew Alcindor
Identity
Reflected
Americans
Bold
Attitude
African
Voice
Miles
Political
John
Findings
Finding
Coltrane
Jazz
Davis

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Ignorance is not something that lends itself to a meaningful discussion.
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Either because I was an athlete or because I was black - probably both - there seemed to be a clear assumption that I wouldn't be up to the work.
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The first time I shot the hook, I was in fourth grade, and I was about five feet eight inches tall. I put the ball up and felt totally at ease with the shot. I was completely confident it would go in. I've been shooting it ever since.
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The game has basically not changed since I ended my career.
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Yoga is somewhat hard to quantify in terms of benefits because you see them in all the injuries you don't get.
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You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much.
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Actor Mike Warren [was my former teammate], who was in Hill Street Blues. There are more, but it's starting to sound like a team reunion at Red Lobster. They were a great bunch of guys and we accomplished a lot together. That's something you don't forget.
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I totally alienated some reporters as I retreated.
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If they took the idea that they could escape poverty through education, I think it would make a more basic and long-lasting change in the way things happen. What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals.
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Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.
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I think race has been a burden for black Americans. Being Muslim has also been a challenge because so many people do not understand Islam.
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Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don't relate to.
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I feel that Dennis Rodman has become a problem. He will be more of a problem than an asset. Of course, he can prove me wrong.
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I needed to go to class I needed to go to practice I needed to have a life away from basketball.
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I think someone should explain to the child that it's OK to make mistakes. That's how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes.
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Reporters used to ask me the same inane questions year-in and year-out, city-to-city, and it would drive me crazy.
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[Coaching] is a difficult job which everyone who owns a TV thinks they can do better at.
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Even when there are adverse circumstances, I try to do my job. And I usually do.
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Yoga is just good for you.
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I could have skated by as an athlete, but the world is so much bigger and more interesting than any one thing. I didn't want to be pigeonholed as just a jock. I'm also an author, a student of history, and I collect memorabilia from the Wild West. I'm also a son, a father, and a friend.
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