Editing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (section)

==Coaching career==
In 1995, Abdul-Jabbar began expressing an interest in coaching and imparting knowledge from his playing days.<ref name="broussard_04252004">{{cite news|last=Broussard|first=Chris|date=April 25, 2004|title=A Legend Learns That He Needs to Be Liked|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/sports/pro-basketball-a-legend-learns-that-he-needs-to-be-liked.html|access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="plaschke_12021997">{{cite news|last=Plaschke|first=Bill|date=December 2, 1997|title=Abdul-Jabbar Figures NBA Needs a Coach Kareem|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-02-sp-59770-story.html|access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref> His opportunities were limited despite the success he enjoyed during his playing days. During his playing years, Abdul-Jabbar had developed a reputation for being introverted and sullen. He was often unfriendly with the media.<ref name="broussard_04252004" /><ref name="plaschke_12021997" /><ref name="johnson_p121">{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=Earvin|url=https://archive.org/details/mylifejohn00john/page/121/mode/1up|title=My Life|last2=Novak|first2=William|publisher=Random House|year=1992|isbn=9780679415695|pages=121–123|access-date=June 15, 2021|url-access=registration|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> His sensitivity and shyness created a perception of him being aloof and surly.<ref name="broussard_04252004" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Rogers|first=John|date=February 16, 2018|title=A talkative Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflects on becoming himself|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-celebrities-basketball-bac317de667841e9bfaf0c9394e73d38|access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref> At the time, his mentality was that he either did not have the time or did not owe anything to anyone.<ref name="lat_01272006" /> [[Magic Johnson]] recalled as a kid being brushed off after asking him for an autograph. Abdul-Jabbar might freeze out a reporter if they touched him, and he once refused to stop reading the newspaper while giving an interview.<ref name="johnson_p121" />

Abdul-Jabbar had spent most of his career with a reserved attitude towards media attention (since he did not have to deal with it as a star at UCLA) before he softened up near the end of his career. Abdul-Jabbar said: "I didn't understand that I also had affected people that way and that's what it was all about. I always saw it like they were trying to pry. I was way too suspicious and I paid a price for it."<ref name="lakersblog.latimes.com" /> However, he believes it was his reputation as a "difficult person", alongside his attempts at trying to break into coaching while nearing the age of fifty, that affected his chances of becoming a head coach within the NBA or NCAA.<ref>{{cite news|last=Beard|first=Alison|date=January–February 2012|title=Life's Work: An Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar|work=Harvard Business Review|url=https://hbr.org/2012/01/kareem-abdul-jabbar|access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref>

Abdul-Jabbar worked as an assistant for the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] and the [[Seattle SuperSonics]], helping mentor, among others, their young centers, [[Michael Olowokandi]] and [[Jerome James]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Crowe|first=Jerry|date=September 7, 2005|title=Kareem Hopes to Teach Young Laker a Lesson|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-07-sp-lakers7-story.html|access-date=April 16, 2020}}</ref> Abdul-Jabbar was the head coach of the [[Oklahoma Storm]] of the [[United States Basketball League]] in 2002, leading the team to the league's championship that season, but he failed to land the head coaching position at [[Columbia University]] a year later.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Lemire|date=January 2004|title=Keeping Up|publisher=Columbia College Today|url=http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan04/features5.php|url-status=dead|access-date=June 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610070044/http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan04/features5.php|archive-date=June 10, 2007}}</ref> He then worked as a [[scout (sport)|scout]] for the [[New York Knicks]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Doug Cantor|date=June 1, 2004|title=Esquire: Q + A: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar|url=http://www.mywire.com/pubs/Esquire/2004/06/01/463658?extID=10037&oliID=229|access-date=June 10, 2007|archive-date=May 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527092101/http://www.mywire.com/pubs/Esquire/2004/06/01/463658?extID=10037&oliID=229|url-status=dead}}</ref> He returned to the Lakers as a special assistant coach to [[Phil Jackson]] for six seasons (2005–2011). Early on, he mentored their young center, [[Andrew Bynum]].<ref>{{cite web|date=September 2, 2005|title=Lakers hire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Special Assistant Coach|url=http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/abdul-jabbar.050902.html|access-date=June 10, 2007|work=NBA.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Markazi|first=Arash|date=May 19, 2011|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar unhappy|website=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6566583|access-date=April 16, 2020}}</ref> Abdul-Jabbar also served as a volunteer coach at Alchesay High School on the [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation]] in [[Whiteriver, Arizona]], in 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November 23, 1998|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Volunteers As High School Coach On Indian Reservation in Arizona|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_1998_Nov_23/ai_53365359|url-status=dead|magazine=Jet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012184401/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_1998_Nov_23/ai_53365359|archive-date=October 12, 2007|access-date=June 10, 2007}}</ref> He moved on from coaching in 2013 after unsuccessfully lobbying for open head coach positions with UCLA and the Milwaukee Bucks.<ref>{{cite news|last=Abramson|first=Mitch|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar promotes new book, says he is not upset about lack of coaching opportunity in NBA|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/no-ill-will-nba-scoring-king-lack-coaching-gig-article-1.1466615|access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref>