Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Hospitalized After Fall

The Los Angeles Lakers icon and NBA hall of famer reportedly took a serious tumble.

By Andrew Roberts

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering at the hospital after breaking his hip in the spill. According to TMZ, the Lakers icon's representative explained that Abdul-Jabbar was attending a show on Friday night when the basketball star fell to the floor. His hip cracked from the fall and he was rushed to the hospital after paramedics responded.

"Last night, while attending a concert, Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip. He will have surgery today," Abdul-Jabbar's longtime representative said in a statement.

Morales said that the Lakers star was "deeply appreciative" of the Los Angeles Fire Department after the incident, and praised the "amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of [him]."

Abdul-Jabbar is the number two all-time NBA scorer, only recently being passed by LeBron James earlier in 2023. The fall and reported hip fracture are the latest health issues facing the 76-year-old former NBA star. He has previously fought prostate cancer, leukemia and heart bypass surgery in past years. In 2020, he penned an essay calling for better health care for Black Americans for WebMD, adding that he was far luckier than most while dealing with a nasty health turn.

"I've been fortunate because my celebrity has brought me enough financial security to receive excellent medical attention. No one wants an NBA legend dying on their watch. Imagine the Yelp reviews," Abdul-Jabbar joked in the essay. "But while I'm grateful for my advantages, I'm acutely aware that many others in the Black community do not have the same options and that it is my responsibility to join with those fighting to change that. Because Black lives are at risk. Serious risk."

The former NBA star played 20 seasons, earning a record six NBA Most Valuable Player awards across his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He also still holds a slew of college records at UCLA, including highest career scoring average, most career field goals, most points in a season with 870, and many more.

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