And you thought he was done making headlines? The NBA’s all-time scoring leader is now a global cultural ambassador. Not bad for Kareem Abdual-Jabbar.
The State Department made the announcement Wednesday. Abdual-Jabbar will travel around the world to promote diplomacy. His first trip is scheduled for Jan. 22 to Brazil.
Ann Stock, assistant secretary of state for education and cultural affairs, says Abdul-Jabbar will be focusing his efforts on the younger generation.
In the announcement, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton explained her vision of “Smart Power” that combines diplomacy, defense and development to “bridge the gap in a tense world through young people,” according to The Associated Press.
Abdual-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers he won six NBA championships and a record six regular season MVP Awards.
Karrem Abdual-Jabbar:
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (May 15, 1995)[27]
College:
Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
Three-time First Team All-American (1967–69)
Three-time NCAA champion (1967–69)
Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament (1967–69)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2007)[28]National Basketball Association:
Rookie of the Year (1970)
Six-time NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88)
NBA MVP (1971–72, 1974, 1976–77, 1980)
Sporting News NBA MVP (1971–72, 1974, 1976–77, 1980)
Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” (1985)
One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
First player in NBA history to play 20 seasons
#7 in SLAM Magazine’s Top 50 NBA Players of all time in 2009.Courtesy Wikipedia.org
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