Editing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (section)

==College career==
[[File:Lew Alcindor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar UCLA.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Alcindor with the reverse two-hand dunk against [[Stanford Cardinal men's basketball|Stanford]]]]
Alcindor was not able to play professionally in the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] out of high school. At the time, the league only accepted players beginning with the year that they could have hypothetically graduated from college.<ref name=irving_02092023>{{cite web|first=Kyle|last=Irving|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar college stats: How many more NBA points could he have scored?|date=February 9, 2023|work=Sporting News|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-college-stats-nba-points/zo4c0ya3ofo8becboupxnbad|access-date=February 16, 2023}}</ref><ref name=abduljabbar_04192012/> His other options to play basketball professionally would have been to join the [[Harlem Globetrotters]] or play overseas. However, Alcindor's goal was to attend college.<ref name=abduljabbar_04192012/> [[College recruiting|Recruited]] by hundreds of schools, he was the most sought-after prospect since [[Wilt Chamberlain]]. [[Southern United States|Southern]] teams that were [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] were willing to break the [[color line (racism)|color line]] to acquire Alcindor.<ref name=smith_03302018/> He chose to attend the [[University of California, Los Angeles]],<ref name=abduljabbar_04192012>{{cite news|first=Kareem|last=Abdul-Jabbar|title=Freshman life has changed|date=April 19, 2012|website=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7831845/freshman-life-changed-elite-basketball-players|access-date=April 18, 2022}}</ref> after being recruited by [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|Bruins]] assistant coach [[Jerry Norman (basketball)|Jerry Norman]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Apodaca |first=Patrice |title=Let's pause and recall the influence of Jerry Norman |date=March 21, 2014 |newspaper=Daily Pilot |url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2014-03-21/opinion/tn-dpt-me-0323-apodaca-20140321_1_john-vallely-ucla-lucius-allen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723032955/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2014-03-21/opinion/tn-dpt-me-0323-apodaca-20140321_1_john-vallely-ucla-lucius-allen |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Baseball Hall of Famer and UCLA alumnus [[Jackie Robinson]] also wrote to Alcindor, encouraging him to attend the college.<ref name=":1" /> 

By now {{convert|7|ft|1|in|adj=on}} tall, Alcindor was relegated to the freshman team in his first year with the Bruins,<ref name=almbgrts>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R7BhAAAAIBAJ&pg=4735%2C2683757 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|agency=Associated Press |last=McSweeney |first=John |title=Rival cage coaches agree Alcindor may be greatest |date=February 25, 1966|page=20}}</ref><ref name=lopresti_03032017/> as freshmen were ineligible to play [[varsity team|varsity]] until 1972.<ref>{{cite news|first=Dean|last=Smith|title=Why Freshman Should Not Play|date=October 2, 1983|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/02/sports/why-freshman-should-not-play.html|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> The freshman squad included [[Lucius Allen]], [[Kenny Heitz]], and [[Lynn Shackelford]], who were fellow high-school [[All-America]]ns.<ref>{{cite news|title=21 Turn Out As UCLA Opens Cage Practice|date=October 16, 1965|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|page=28|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79778506/|access-date=June 18, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> On November 27, 1965, Alcindor made his first public performance in UCLA's annual varsity–freshman exhibition game, attended by 12,051 fans in the inaugural game at the Bruins' new [[Pauley Pavilion]].<ref name=lopresti_03032017/><ref name=florence_11281965/><ref>{{cite news|title=Basketball Teams to Dedicate Pavilion|date=November 21, 1965|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|page=K-5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79776223/|access-date=June 18, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The [[1965–66 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team|1965–66 varsity team]] was the two-time defending national champions and the top-ranked team in preseason polls.<ref name=lopresti_03032017>{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Lopresti|title=Remembering the start of UCLA's dynasty, 50 years later|date=March 3, 2017|website=NCAA.com|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-03-03/ucla-basketball-and-beginning-its-golden-age-50-years-later|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name=crowe_05271990>{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Crowe|title=A Grand Opening : Pauley Pavilion and UCLA's Best Freshman Team Made Their Debuts Together 25 Years Ago|date=May 27, 1990|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-27-sp-5543-story.html|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> The freshman team won 75–60 behind Alcindor's 31 points and 21 [[Rebound (basketball)|rebounds]].<ref name=florence_11281965>{{cite news|last=Florence|first=Mal|title=Who's No. 1? UCLA Frosh Too Hot for Varsity, 75–60|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 28, 1965|at=Sec. D, pp. 1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79552026/ 10]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79551819/|quote=Lew Alcindor strode onto the Pauley Pavilion court Saturday night and captured the town, completely demoralizing the UCLA varsity basketball team in the process|access-date=June 14, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name=ebony_031967/> It was the first time a freshman team had beaten the UCLA varsity squad.<ref name=ebony_031967/> The varsity had lost [[Gail Goodrich]] and [[Keith Erickson]] from the championship squad to graduation, and starting guard [[Freddie Goss]] was out sick.<ref name=florence_11281965/><ref name=UPI_11291965>{{cite news|title=Bruins Are Beaten—By Freshman Quintet|date=November 29, 1965|page=10|newspaper=Corvallis Gazette-Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79781388/|access-date=June 18, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> After the game, [[UPI]] wrote: "UCLA's Bruins open defense of their national basketball title this week, but right now they're only the second best team on campus."<ref name=UPI_11291965/><ref>{{cite news|first=Andy|last=Wittry|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: College stats, best moments, quotes|date=August 12, 2020|website=NCAA.com|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-04/kareem-abdul-jabbar-college-stats-best-moments-quotes|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> The freshman team was 21–0 that year, dominating against [[junior college]] and other freshman teams,<ref name=crowe_05271990/> as Alcindor averaged 33 points and 21 rebounds per game.<ref name=schwartz/>

[[File:Lew Alcindor vs USC 1966-67.jpg|thumb|upright|Alcindor versus [[USC Trojans men's basketball|USC]]]]
Alcindor made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 1966 and received national coverage. ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' described him as "The New Superstar" after he scored 56 points in his first game, which is still an [[NCAA]] record for a player in their debut.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=NCAA Men's Basketball Records |url=http://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/D1.pdf |access-date=April 25, 2025 |website=NCAA}}</ref><ref name=ebony_031967/><ref name=EB/> He scored 61 later in the season.<ref name=schwartz/> Averaging 29 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, he led UCLA to an undefeated 30–0 record and a national championship,<ref name=schwartz/><ref name=time_04141967/> their third title in four years and first of seven consecutive.<ref name=smith_03302018/><ref name=schwartz/> After the season, the dunk was banned in college basketball in an attempt to curtail his dominance;<ref name="greatath"/><ref name=time_04141967>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836963,00.html |title=Lew's Still Loose |magazine=Time Magazine |date=April 14, 1967 |access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref> critics dubbed it the "Alcindor Rule".<ref name="greatath"/><ref name=smith_03302018/> It was not rescinded until the 1976–77 season.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mac|last=McLeaod|title=The Dunk Is Back, What Does It Bring|date=April 8, 1976|newspaper=The Daily Item|page=1B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79784544/|access-date=June 18, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Alcindor was the main contributor to the team's three-year record of 88 wins and only two losses: one to the [[1967–68 Houston Cougars men's basketball team|University of Houston]] in which Alcindor had an eye injury, and the other to crosstown rival [[USC Trojans men's basketball|USC]] who played a "stall game";<ref name=lopresti_03032017/><ref name="WBURJabbar">{{cite web|author=[[Bill Littlefield]]|url=https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/05/19/john-wooden-kareem-abdul-jabbar|title=50 Years Of Coach Wooden And Kareem, Through Racism, Olympic Boycotts And More|publisher=[[WBUR-FM]]|date=May 19, 2017|access-date=April 15, 2020}}</ref> there was no [[shot clock]] in that era, allowing the Trojans to hold the ball as long as it wanted before attempting to score. They limited Alcindor to only four shots and 10 points.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Crowe|title=His USC team stood around and waited to beat UCLA|date=February 2, 2009|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-02-sp-crowe-nest2-story.html|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref>

During his college career, Alcindor was a three-time [[List of U.S. men's college basketball national player of the year awards|national player of the year]] (1967–1969), a three-time unanimous first-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] (1967–1969), played on three NCAA basketball champion teams ([[1967 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1967]], [[1968 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1968]], and [[1969 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1969]]), was honored as the [[NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player|Most Outstanding Player]] in the NCAA Tournament three times, and became the first-ever [[Naismith College Player of the Year]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Johnson|first=Gary K.|title=NCAA Men's Basketball Finest|journal=Ncaa Men's Basketball's Finest|page=11|year=2005|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketballs_finest/2005/m_basketball_finest.pdf|issn=1521-2955|access-date=December 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Men's Basketball Award Winners|page=16|website=NCAA.com|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2021/Awards.pdf|access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> He was the only player to win the [[Helms Foundation Player of the Year]] award three times.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lew Alcindor HeadsHelms All American Hoop Quintet|newspaper=The Daily Herald|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/79784036/|access-date=June 18, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He had considered transferring to [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan]] because of unfulfilled recruiting promises. UCLA player [[Willie Naulls]] introduced Alcindor and teammate [[Lucius Allen]] to athletic booster [[Sam Gilbert (businessman)|Sam Gilbert]], who convinced the pair to remain at UCLA.<ref name="SAMCAGERS">{{cite news|last=Florence|first=Mal|title=Papa Sam Gilbert is someone special to UCLA cagers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Zj0gAAAAIBAJ&pg=7090%2C2889137|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|location=(Florida)|agency=(Los Angeles Times) |date=April 7, 1974|page=7D}}</ref>

During his junior year, Alcindor suffered a scratched left [[cornea]] on January 12, 1968, in a game against [[California Golden Bears men's basketball|California]] (UC Berkeley) when he was struck by Tom Henderson in a rebound battle.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite news |last=Prugh |first=Jeff |title=Bruins win again without Alcindor. Big Lew Sidelined By Eye Injury Suffered in Game against Bears | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 14, 1968}}</ref> He missed the next two games against [[Stanford Cardinal men's basketball|Stanford]] and [[Portland Pilots men's basketball|Portland]].<ref name="greatath"/> His cornea would again be scratched during his pro career, which subsequently caused him to wear [[goggles]] for eye protection.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/12/20/Los-Angeles-Lakers-center-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-flew-home-from/5795535438800/|title=Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar flew home from Dallas|date=December 20, 1986|work=[[United Press International]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127203658/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/12/20/Los-Angeles-Lakers-center-Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar-flew-home-from/5795535438800/|archive-date=January 27, 2020|quote=Jabbar, who wears goggles to protect his eyes during play, is suffering from recurring corneal erosion syndrome in his right eye. He returned to Los Angeles following an eye examination in Dallas early Saturday. Doctors explained that because Jabbar was poked in the eye so many times in the days before he wore goggles, scar tissue had formed on the cornea.}}</ref> On January 20, the Bruins faced coach [[Guy Lewis]]'s [[Houston Cougars men's basketball|Houston Cougars]] in the first-ever nationally televised regular-season college basketball game, with 52,693 in attendance at the [[Astrodome]]. In a contest billed as the "[[Game of the Century (college basketball)|Game of the Century]]", Cougar forward [[Elvin Hayes]] scored 39 points and had 15 rebounds, while Alcindor, suffering from his eye injury, was held to just 15 points as Houston won 71–69, ending UCLA's 47-game winning streak.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jerry|last=Wizig|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1988_517381|title=It's been 20 years since they've played The Game of the Century|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=January 20, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004131333/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1988_517381|archive-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2018/01/19/ucla-and-houstons-game-of-the-century-still-leaves-impression-50-years-later/|title=UCLA-Houston 'Game of the Century' still leaves impression 50 years later|last=Nguyen|first=Thuc Nhi|date=January 19, 2018|work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127203341/https://www.dailynews.com/2018/01/19/ucla-and-houstons-game-of-the-century-still-leaves-impression-50-years-later/|archive-date=January 27, 2020|quote=Eight days after scratching his cornea against Cal, Abdul-Jabbar was one of four UCLA starters to play all 40 minutes.}}</ref> Hayes and Alcindor had a rematch in the semifinals of [[1968 NCAA College Division basketball tournament|the NCAA tournament]], where UCLA, with a healthy Alcindor, defeated Houston 101–69 en route to the national championship. UCLA limited Hayes, who was averaging 37.7 points per game, to only ten points. Wooden credited his assistant Norman for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Esper|first=Dwain|title=Bruins Hope Norman Stays|date=March 25, 1968|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=Pasadena, California|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2860094/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gasaway |first=John |title=John Wooden's Century |date=June 7, 2010 |work=Basketball Prospectus |url=http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=798 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723062332/http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=798 |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |url-status=dead  |access-date=July 23, 2015 }}</ref> ''Sports Illustrated'' ran a cover story on the game and used the headline: "Lew's Revenge: The Rout of Houston."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.kareemabduljabbar.com/products/1968-sports-illustrated-magazine-lews-revenge-the-rout-of-houston-lew-alcindor |title=Lew's Revenge: The Rout of Houston |access-date=March 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506210634/https://shop.kareemabduljabbar.com/products/1968-sports-illustrated-magazine-lews-revenge-the-rout-of-houston-lew-alcindor |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a [[senior (education)|senior]] in [[1968–69 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team|1968–69]], Alcindor led the Bruins to their third consecutive national title.<ref name=smith_03302018/>

[[File:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NCAA Championship.jpeg|thumb|upright|Alcindor performs ceremonial [[net cutting]] at [[Freedom Hall]] in Louisville in 1969 after a 20-point win over [[Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball|Purdue]] and [[Rick Mount]] in unprecedented third-straight national title en route to seven consecutive national championships for UCLA.]]
During the summer of 1968, Alcindor took the ''[[shahada]]'' twice and converted to [[Sunni Islam]] from [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]. He adopted the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though he did not begin using it publicly until 1971.<ref name="Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Diamant |first=Jeff |editor-last=Curtis |editor-first=Edward E. IV |date=2010 |title=Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (Lew Alcindor) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=owZCMZpYamMC&pg=PA2 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History |edition=1st |location=New York |publisher=Facts On File |pages=2–3 |isbn=978-1-4381-3040-8 |oclc=650849872|access-date=January 15, 2020|via=Google Books}}</ref> He boycotted the [[1968 Summer Olympics]], deciding not to try out for the [[1968 United States men's Olympic basketball team|U.S. Olympic basketball team]], who went on to win the gold medal.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite web|first=Kurt|last=Streeter|title=Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is Greater Than Any Basketball Record|date=February 7, 2023|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/sports/basketball/kareem-abdul-jabbar-record-legacy.html|access-date=February 16, 2023}}</ref> Alcindor was protesting the unequal treatment of [[African Americans]] in the United States,<ref name=olympictak_05222017/><ref name=smith_03302018>{{cite news|first=Johnny|last=Smith|title=The reign of Lew Alcindor in the age of revolt|date=March 30, 2018|work=[[Andscape]]|url=https://andscape.com/features/lew-alcindor-kareem-abdul-jabbar-ucla-boycot-1968-olympics/|access-date=December 22, 2021}}</ref> stating that he was "trying to point out to the world the futility of winning the gold medal for this country and then coming back to live under oppression".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-154dn40k35|url-status=dead|title=Black Journal; 60; Kareem|website=American Archive|publisher=American Archive of Public Broadcasting|date=May 2, 1972|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224073101/https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-154dn40k35|archive-date=February 24, 2021|access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref>

As the NBA did not allow college underclassmen to make an early [[NBA draft declaration]], Alcindor completed his studies and earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] with a major in history in 1969. In his free time, he practiced martial arts. He studied [[aikido]] in New York between his sophomore and junior year before learning [[Jeet Kune Do]] under [[Bruce Lee]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2006/01/talking_with_ka_2.html | work=Los Angeles Times | title=Lakers Now | date=January 27, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060202151933/http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2006/01/talking_with_ka_2.html | archive-date=February 2, 2006 | access-date=August 10, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Huang|title=How Bruce Lee became a muse for Kareem and an All-Rookie guard|date=November 30, 2017|website=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21597832/nba-bruce-lee-muse-kareem-abdul-jabbar-jamal-murray|access-date=June 17, 2021}}</ref>

===School records===
As of the [[2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team]] season,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/uclabruins/docs/mbkb_20mg_full_guide|title=UCLA 2019–2020 Men's basketball Information Guide|website=UCLA Bruins|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=January 11, 2021}}</ref> he still holds or shares a number of individual records at UCLA:<ref name="UCLA Bruins">{{cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucla/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0910MBB_MG_Records|url-status=dead<!-- Alternative link at https://issuu.com/msuathletics/docs/msumensbb-final -->|title=2009–10 UCLA men's basketball media guide|website=UCLA Bruins|date=November 19, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717134757/http://www.uclabruins.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucla/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0910MBB_MG_Records|archive-date=July 17, 2011|access-date=January 11, 2022}}</ref>
* Highest career scoring average: 26.4
* Most career field goals: 943 — tied with [[Don MacLean (basketball)|Don MacLean]]
* Most points in a season: 870 (1967) 
* Highest season scoring average: 29.0 (1967)
* Most field goals in a season: 346 (1967) — also the second most at 303 (1969) and the third most at 294 (1968)
* Most free throw attempts in a season: 274 (1967)
* Most points in a single game: 61
* Most points in a college debut game: 56<ref name=":0" />
* Most field goals in a single game: 26 (vs. Washington State, February 25, 1967)

He is represented in the top ten in a number of other school records, including season and career rebounds, second only to [[Bill Walton]].<ref name="UCLA Bruins"/>