Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., was an American professional basketball center and one of the greatest players in NBA history. Standing 7-foot-2, he spent 20 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar was selected first overall in the 1969 NBA Draft and immediately became one of basketball’s dominant interior scorers and rebounders. He finished his NBA career with 38,387 points, 17,440 rebounds and 5,660 assists across 1,560 regular-season games. He won six NBA championships, six regular-season MVP awards and two Finals MVP awards. His career was defined by extraordinary scoring efficiency, rebounding, shot-blocking and the unstoppable skyhook.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career Information
Category
Details
Full Name
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.
Later Name
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Date of Birth
April 16, 1947
Nationality
American
Position
Center
Height
7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Weight
225 lb (102 kg)
Last Team
Los Angeles Lakers
Draft Year
1969
Draft Pick
1st Overall
Professional Career
1969–1989
Jersey Numbers
33, 34
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NBA Career Stats
Statistic
Career Total
Games
1,560
Games Started
1,559
Minutes
57,446
Points
38,387
Rebounds
17,440
Assists
5,660
Steals
1,160
Blocks
3,189
Turnovers
2,527
Personal Fouls
4,657
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Per Game Career Stats
Statistic
Per Game
Points
24.6
Rebounds
11.2
Assists
3.6
Steals
0.7
Blocks
2.6
Turnovers
1.6
Minutes
36.8
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shooting Stats
Statistic
Career Record
Field Goals Made
15,837
Field Goals Attempted
28,307
Field Goal Percentage
55.9%
Three-Pointers Made
1
Three-Pointers Attempted
18
Three-Point Percentage
5.6%
Free Throws Made
6,712
Free Throws Attempted
9,304
Free Throw Percentage
72.1%
Kareem played almost his entire career before the three-point line became part of the NBA game, so three-point statistics have little relevance to his overall offensive profile.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Season-by-Season Stats
Season
Team
Games
PPG
RPG
APG
1969-70
Milwaukee Bucks
82
28.8
14.5
4.1
1970-71
Milwaukee Bucks
82
31.7
16.0
3.3
1971-72
Milwaukee Bucks
81
34.8
16.6
4.6
1972-73
Milwaukee Bucks
76
30.2
16.1
5.0
1973-74
Milwaukee Bucks
81
27.0
14.5
4.8
1974-75
Milwaukee Bucks
65
30.0
14.0
4.1
1975-76
Los Angeles Lakers
82
27.7
16.9
5.0
1976-77
Los Angeles Lakers
82
26.2
13.3
3.9
1977-78
Los Angeles Lakers
62
25.8
12.9
4.3
1978-79
Los Angeles Lakers
80
23.8
12.8
5.4
1979-80
Los Angeles Lakers
82
24.8
10.8
4.5
1980-81
Los Angeles Lakers
80
26.2
10.3
3.4
1981-82
Los Angeles Lakers
76
23.9
8.7
3.0
1982-83
Los Angeles Lakers
79
21.8
7.5
2.5
1983-84
Los Angeles Lakers
80
21.5
7.3
2.6
1984-85
Los Angeles Lakers
79
22.0
7.9
3.2
1985-86
Los Angeles Lakers
79
23.4
6.1
3.5
1986-87
Los Angeles Lakers
78
17.5
6.7
3.0
1987-88
Los Angeles Lakers
80
19.4
6.0
1.7
1988-89
Los Angeles Lakers
74
10.1
4.5
1.0
Abdul-Jabbar averaged more than 30 points per game in four of his first six NBA seasons and led the league in scoring during the 1970-71 season. His production remained remarkably consistent through the later stages of his career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Playoff Stats
Statistic
Playoff Total
Games
237
Points
5,762
Rebounds
2,481
Assists
767
Steals
180
Blocks
476
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Playoff Per Game Stats
Statistic
Per Game
Points
24.3
Rebounds
10.5
Assists
3.2
Steals
0.8
Blocks
2.0
Abdul-Jabbar appeared in the NBA playoffs in 18 of his 20 seasons and won six championships. His postseason career included 237 games and more than 5,700 points.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career Highs
Statistic
Career High
Points
55
Rebounds
34
Assists
12
Steals
4
Blocks
9
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Awards & Achievements
Achievement
Total
NBA Championships
6
MVP Awards
6
Finals MVP Awards
2
All-Star Selections
19
All-NBA Selections
15
Defensive Team Selections
11
Scoring Titles
2
Rookie of the Year
1
All-Star Game MVP Awards
2
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won NBA championships with both Milwaukee and Los Angeles. He earned six regular-season MVP awards, the most in NBA history until the modern era, and was named Finals MVP twice.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Team Career
Team
Seasons
Games
Points
Milwaukee Bucks
1969-1975
467
14,211
Los Angeles Lakers
1975-1989
1,093
24,176
Total
—
1,560
38,387
Abdul-Jabbar spent his first six NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. He played the final 14 seasons of his professional NBA career in Los Angeles.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Position-Specific Statistics
As a center, Abdul-Jabbar’s statistical profile was built around scoring efficiency, rebounding and interior defense. His 55.9% career field-goal percentage and 2.6 blocks per game demonstrate his effectiveness on both ends of the floor.
Category
Career Figure
Points Per Game
24.6
Rebounds Per Game
11.2
Assists Per Game
3.6
Steals Per Game
0.7
Blocks Per Game
2.6
Field Goal Percentage
55.9%
Free Throw Percentage
72.1%
Offensive Rebounds Per Game
2.4
Defensive Rebounds Per Game
8.7
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career Records & Milestones
Record
Achievement
Career Points
38,387
Highest Scoring Game
55 points
30+ Point Games
318
40+ Point Games
70
50+ Point Games
10
20+ Point Games
1,034
Career Rebounds
17,440
Career Blocks
3,189
NBA MVP Awards
6
NBA Championships
6
All-Star Selections
19
NBA Finals Appearances
10
Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 after 20 NBA seasons and finished his career as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record that stood for nearly four decades. He also finished among the league’s all-time leaders in rebounds, blocks and games played.
His six MVP awards remain one of the defining achievements of his career. He was also selected to 19 All-Star Games and earned 15 All-NBA selections, demonstrating his elite level of performance across two decades.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career Summary
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished his NBA career with 38,387 points, 17,440 rebounds and 5,660 assists in 1,560 regular-season games, averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He shot 55.9% from the field and 72.1% from the free-throw line while averaging 2.6 blocks per game. In 237 playoff games, he recorded 5,762 points and 2,481 rebounds and helped his teams win six NBA championships. His six MVP awards, 19 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA selections and extraordinary longevity make Kareem Abdul-Jabbar one of the most statistically accomplished centers in NBA history.
