Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s parents are known as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr and Cora Lillian. In the ensuing paragraphs, you will get to know more about who his father and mother were and the impact they had on his life.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Parents: Who are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Parents?
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Senior and Cora Lillian were the parents of the legendary basketball player. Below are each of their details.
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr was born on the 9th of October 1919 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. He was a student of the Juilliard School and later went into the army in the year 1941 and ended his service in the army four years later in 1945. He was a member of the New York Police Department and a musician.
Ferdinand has his roots linked to Trinidadian heritage as his parents migrated from Trinidad to seek greener pastures in the United States of America. He was the son of Cyrus Alcindor who was born on the 23rd of December, 1882 in Trinidad and Tobago. He had three siblings; Viola Alcindor who was born in 1922, Dorothy Alcindor who was born in 1924, Stephen James Alcindor, born on the 18th of December, 1925. His father died at the age of 45 on December 2, 1928.
He died from organ failure after a long battle with senile dementia at the Coney Island Hospital on the 9th of December, 2005 at the age of 85. He was survived by only a son known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was initially named as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.
His mother, Cora Lillian was born on the 5th of December, 1918 I. Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina to Joseph P. Douglas and Ola Jane Darylan Douglas. Not much is known about her aside from being the mother of the famous basketball player. She died in Los Angeles County, California on the 30th of April, 1997 at the age of 78.
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Background of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a basketball legend with six NBA championships and six MBP awards, achieved iconic status. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, his career began at UCLA under Coach John Wooden. Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, he later joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975, earning five championships and four MVP awards.
Post retirement, he coached teams worldwide including Barcelona, Fenerbahçe and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is currently the head coach to the Milwaukee Bucks. Beyond sports, Abdul-Jabbar is a bestselling author with over ten books and a martial artist, featuring in the 1972 Hong Kong film, “Game of Death”.
Born on the 16th of April, 1947 in Harlem, New York, Abdul-Jabbar at 76 years old as of 2023, is an Aries according to his zodiac sign.