On Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar visited the emergency department at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center causing a bit of concern that one of the greatest basketball players in history was struggling with his health. However, the hospital visit turned out to be a precautionary exercise related to Abdul-Jabbar's recent heart surgery.
The UCLA alumni underwent a quadruple bypass surgery on Apr. 16. According to a statement released by Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday night, the 68-year-old experienced dizziness and contacted physicians on Wednesday. After being instructed to come to the emergency room, Abdul-Jabbar's surgeon and cardiologist examined the 7-foot 2-inch six-time NBA champion.
Fortunately, tests revealed no complications, and Abdul-Jabbar was discharged and returned home to rest. In the statement released by the hospital, Dr. Richard Shemin, who is Abdul-Jabbar's surgeon, said it is not uncommon for patients to experience symptoms that require further testing following a major heart surgery.
@LakersNation Thanks to all my friends & teammates at the Laker organization for being a wonderful & comforting support to me. — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) April 30, 2015
During the Lakers' recent historically bad season, which finished as the worst in franchise history, Abdul-Jabbar continued to attend games and support the team at its darkest points. One would hope that the all-time great will walk by his statue at LA Live and sit under his retired jersey at Staples Center for seasons to come.
