‘Cap’ admitted that he felt disrespected that it took the Lakers organization 23 years to unravel his statue.
In 2011, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on the record to express his disappointment in the Los Angeles Lakers organization for not prioritizing his statue unraveling outside the arena. The six-time champion — who won five of his titles with the Purple and Gold — even called out the Lakers on Twitter at the time.
“What prompted me has been a steady diet of disrespect from the supposedly wonderful Laker family,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote via Twitter, as reported by ESPN. “It’s not about getting a statue because I’m over it – it’s about RESPECT! The Lakers have given me the absolute minimum of respect.”
What took the Lakers so long?
The 19-time All-Star’s initial rage towards the Lakers made sense at first because before his statue was released in 2012, the organization prioritized his teammate Magic Johnson, broadcaster Chick Hearn, and Jerry West’s corresponding statues.
Considering that Abdul-Jabbar was first to arrive on the Lakers before Johnson and was as integral as him during the team’s Showtime era, the two-time Finals MVP ran out of patience even if he was consistently told that his statue ceremony would eventually happen.
“My tendency is to grin and bear it because I figured there must be something happening that I don’t understand, and this is being done out of necessity,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
“Once I got the idea that that wasn’t the case and it wasn’t, I figured maybe it was time for me to speak out. I’ve never been this vocal about anything. I’ve always tried to stay out of the fray and not be an object of controversy. It doesn’t suit me, but something needed to be said,” KAJ added.
The reason why the Lakers released Johnson’s statue first was because it was the five-time champion who really pushed the organization to do it as early as 2004. While “The Captain” didn’t mind it at first, his tantrum only happened after Hern and West’s statues were released first.
As for Chick’s statue, the Lakers did it before Abdul-Jabbar’s because the former’s wife, Merge, was in her 90s by 2010 and wanted to witness her husband honored before it was too late. Meanwhile West’s statue came first just because he was part of the organization and won a championship for Los Angeles before KAJ arrived. The Lakers made it clear that they didn’t mean to disrespect ‘Cap.’
Kareem and the Lakers eventually sorted it out
The Lakers eventually unveiled KAJ’s statue on November 16, 2012. It’s a 16-foot-tall, 1,500-lb. bronze statue of his famous skyhook shot, which can still be found outside Crypto.com Arena. During the ceremony, KAJ was honored not only by his Showtime teammates and coach Pat Riley but also by civil rights activist Dr. Richard Lapchick and, via video, former President Bill Clinton.
The Lakers legend was celebrated not just for the five championships he won for the Lakers but also for the three he captured as a member of the UCLA Bruins. Overall, KAJ won a total of eight titles for Los Angeles on top of his prestigious awards, such as being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (at that time in 2012) and the notable MVPs, All-NBA awards, Hall of Fame selection, and All-Star Game appearances.
At the end of his ceremony, KAJ acknowledged that he and the Lakers eventually patched things up and blamed his tantrum on his age.
“I always kept my emotions inside,” he said. “But I’m retired now. I can be a cranky or happy old man, and I’m very happy right now.”
“Even though we had some words over it earlier, they forgot about that, and my contributions to the franchise meant a lot to them,” Abdul-Jabbar concluded. “We were able to patch it up and get it done.”