Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Cancer Survivor & Highest-Scoring NBA Player in History

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the NBA in 1989 at age 42, no player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more All-Star Games or logged more seasons, but his most important triumph was beating cancer.  

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the NBA in 1989 at age 42, no player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more All-Star Games or logged more seasons, but his most important triumph was beating cancer.

Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in New York City, Abdul-Jabbar dominated New York high school basketball, and then enrolled at UCLA and played for John Wooden’s powerhouse Bruins. Abdul-Jabbar brought grace, agility and versatility to the center position, which had previously been characterized solely by power and size.

His other accomplishments are perhaps the most impressive in NBA history: Rookie of the Year, member of six championship teams, six-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. He also owned eight playoff records and seven All-Star records. No player achieved as much individual and team success as Abdul-Jabbar.

Now an author and commenter on social issues for Time.com, he speaks about his experience as one of the most recognizable faces in NBA’s history, as well as conquering a rare form of cancer. Since his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar hasn’t strayed too far from the game he loves, and works for the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He even spent a year as a coach on the White Mountain Apache reservation in Arizona — an experience he documented in the book A Season on the Reservation. He has written several other books, and is a spokesperson for several products.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Testimonials

We had Kareem come to our annual fund raising Sports Celebrity Dinner and speak to our over 1,000 guests. He was intelligent, insightful and topical. His presence was inspiring and his ability to convey his message clearly and succinctly was evident. And of course his stature as a former superstar athlete kept the audience engaged and involved.

Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton

I want to thank Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for presenting. It was truly a pleasure and an honor to have a living legend share inspiring words and interesting historical events and Black Americans who have shaped American history. The community of Stockton was uplifted and empowered by his message.

Drexel University

Topics

Topics

  • Activist Keynote Speakers
  • Basketball Keynote Speakers
  • Celebrity Motivational Speakers
  • NBA Keynote Speakers
  • Sports & Adventure Keynote Speakers

Videos

Videos

An Evening with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- Full Show

Deprecated: parse_str(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/mabolelepe9877/web/newpdaspeakers.instawp.site/public_html/wp-content/themes/pda-speakers/single-ps_speakers.php on line 292
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Speaker - PDA Speakers

Books

WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?
WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?
Read More →
BLACK PROFILES IN COURACE
BLACK PROFILES IN COURACE
Read More →

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"