Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arriving at the Jackie Robinson monument outside Dodger Stadium.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arriving at the Jackie Robinson monument outside Dodger Stadium.AP
Many who watched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play agree it was tough to see him appear in a wheelchair during a tribute for Jackie Robinson Day atDodger Stadium.
Images of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a wheelchair
The second-highest scorer in NBA history was wheeled to the monument honoring Robinson before standing up to pose for photos.
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In a video circulating on social media, a blonde woman can be seen rushing to assist the 78-year-old former player as he attempted to stand.
Fifteen months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers legend underwent successful hip surgery following a fall at a concert.
“One of the greatest… it’s sad to see the giant who played until he was 40 so frail now,” commented a fan online, referring to the video of the former NBA star.
“Those who understood the issue knew that an important aspect of segregation had been eliminated, and African Americans were proud of it,” Abdul-Jabbar told MLB.com. “My mom didn’t know much about baseball, but with all the attention Jackie got, we started listening to the games on the radio when I was about 2 years old. And for me, it was very important that Jackie’s team won.”
After leaving the army, Kareem noted that Robinson “began preparing to do what he had to do on the field for kids like me.”
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The former player grew up a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers in New York, debuted professionally in 1969 with the Milwaukee Bucks, and later forced a trade to the Lakers in 1975.
Los Angeles Dodgers players and staff members, including Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Rocky Sasaki, were on hand for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s appearance at the Jackie Robinson statue at Centerfield Plaza a few hours before the game against the Colorado Rockies.