"What are you going to do with your life," former Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar asked a room full of about 40 students from Compton High School at Staples Center. "You are now getting ready to take the steps that you will take to make that a reality."
With Black History Month winding down, the Lakers and Abdul-Jabbar teamed up to welcome students from Compton High to Staples Center for Friday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, as a reward for completing EverFi's 306 – African-American History curriculum.
"Between my junior and senior years in high school, I was very fortunate to take part in a mentoring program that enabled me to understand what my community was all about: Harlem in New York City," Abdul-Jabbar shared. "That mentoring program, it changed my life. It made me understand that you have to give back. You have to qualify yourself to give back by sharpening this tool, the one between your ears—your brain. It is the sharpest tool that you have and it's going to take you the furthest distance that you're going to go in your lifetime."
Abdul-Jabbar, who has authored several books focusing on African-American history, also worked with the Lakers to provide all guests in attendance a copy of the DVD, "On the Shoulders of Giants," which tells the largely unknown story of the Harlem Rens, Harlem's best black basketball team during the segregated era of the sport.
An active historian, Abdul-Jabbar also spoke about a new book called "Brothers in Arms" about the 761st all-black tank battalion in World War II. The former Laker great pointed to the battalion being instrumental in freeing three concentration camps, though the heroes would not be recognized for their efforts until over 50 years after the war had ended.
"What black Americans have contributed to American history is American history," Abdul-Jabbar said, as he commended the students on completing Everfi's African American history curriculum.
"EverFi is incredibly grateful to the NBA and the Los Angeles Lakers for sponsoring our 306 curriculum for Black History Month," Jon Chapman, founder and president of Everfi said. "Thanks to this innovative public-private partnership, Compton High School students have been able to utilize our web-based curriculum at no cost to the district, school or taxpayers. We are thrilled that we were able to highlight the students' accomplishments at the game [on Friday] and expect that the program will make a meaningful impact on their lives."
