Quotes from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I've never been a person to share my private life, but I can help save lives.

High school dropouts are forfeiting their opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

A team will always appreciate a great individual if he's willing to sacrifice for the group.

You can't win if you don't play as a unit.

I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.

I felt that a number of people might have questioned my loyalty, but I continue to be a patriotic American.

If not shown appreciation, it gets to you.

You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much.

I'm not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court.

I needed to go to class; I needed to go to practice; I needed to have a life away from basketball.

The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word. In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it.

I think the NBA players have to be held accountable in a reasonable way, just like any other professionals.

I have been coaching recently. I coached high school basketball in Arizona, and I hope that more opportunities become available.

I feel like I've always been a full-time historian, but nobody knows it.

The '80s made up for all the abuse I took during the '70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.

What I learned in my time isn't necessarily being taught now, and I'd like to help impart that knowledge to a new generation of players.

I want to do as little as possible when I finish playing ball - just spend a lot more time with my family.

The type of leukemia that I am dealing with is treatable. So if I do what my doctors tell me to do - get my blood checked regularly, take my meds and consult with my doctor and follow any additional instructions he might make - I will be able to maintain my good health and live my life with a minimum of disruptions to my lifestyle.

I am highly offended by the total lack of acknowledgement of my contribution to Laker success.

Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.

I love basketball, but playing basketball doesn't fully define who I am. I was always a good student, too.

Reporters used to ask me the same inane questions year-in and year-out, city-to-city, and it would drive me crazy.

I totally alienated some reporters as I retreated.

When I was 17, I worked in a mentoring program in Harlem designed to improve the community. That's when I first gained an appreciation of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African-Americans rose to prominence in American culture. For the first time, they were taken seriously as artists, musicians, writers, athletes, and as political thinkers.