Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Q&A

roscoe36 · Feb 8, 2007

Inside Bay Area - Kareem shows a renaissance touch

Q. Do you think today's NBA players have any appreciation of the history of Harlem and its lasting impact on the culture?

A. No, I doubt it very seriously. That history has faded, very much so. It started right after World War II. People started moving in a new direction, and all the past got more or less tossed out. It kind of went hand in hand with the death of the Big Band era. There were new movements as the quest for civil rights went forward and inroads were made into the monolith of white supremacy. People forgot everything that happened earlier.

Q. How many players in the league today have even heard of Bob Douglas? What should they know about this Caribbean immigrant who created the Harlem Rens professional basketball team?

A. They should understand that what he did made it possible for the NBA to come into existence and be integrated. He's in the Hall of Fame, but I would be surprised if anybody knew his name. They would just shrug their shoulders.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Q&A

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Q&A

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