Abdul-Jabbar Documentary Gets Release Date

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's fascinating life on the court and off the court goes under the microscope in an upcoming HBO documentary set to be released on Nov. 3, 2015

Ignoring the social activism and off-court cultural contributions, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could easily be considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Six NBA Championships, six Most Valuable Player trophies and the all-time scoring record only begin the laundry list of records and achievements the former Los Angeles Lakers' center holds, but the man's contributions off the court rank evenly with his achievements on the hardwood.

Abdul-Jabbar's omnipresence as the United States of America worked through desegregation and beyond plays a massive role in the new HBO Sports and Mandalay Sports Media documentary tracing Abdul-Jabbar's involvement in all things basketball and society over the past half-century.

"Kareem waited more than twenty years to tell his story and we're delighted to present it on the HBO platform," Deborah Morales, Jabbar's long-time personal manager and producing partner, said in a press release.

Kareem: Minority of One will debut on Nov. 3 on HBO and will also include commentary on Abdul-Jabbar's time at UCLA, when he was known by his birth name of Lew Alcindor. The towering center remains the only player in the history of the NCAA tournament to be named Outstanding Player of Tournament three years in a row. As was the tradition at the time, Alcindor played on the freshmen team during his first year at UCLA. Largely considered the driving force behind the NCAA's banning of the slam dunk in 1967, Abdul-Jabbar perfected the "Sky Hook" and won two more national championships before leaving UCLA. That shot would ultimately become the 7-foot 2-inch center's calling card as he floated to the top of the NBA's scoring list.

Athletes and stars appearing in the documentary include Pat Riley, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy, Jerry West, Billy Walton, Larry Bird, Jamaal Wilkes, Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson, and Billy Crystal. The documentary will be narrated by actor Liev Schreiber.

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