Basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was hospitalized on Friday night after a fall resulted in a hip fracture in Los Angeles.
According to Deborah Morales, his long-time business partner, the Basketball Hall of Famer suffered the accident while attending a concert. Morales shared a statement on Saturday on Abdul-Jabbar’s X feed (previously Twitter), confirming the incident and mentioning that Abdul-Jabbar would undergo surgery.
“We are deeply grateful for the support Kareem has received, especially from the Los Angeles Fire Department, who assisted him on-site, and the exceptional medical team at UCLA Hospital,” Morales stated.
The 76-year-old, who began his professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, became a pivotal figure with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, leading them to five NBA championships. Although Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA’s all-time scoring record for 39 years, LeBron James surpassed it earlier this year.
Beyond his basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar is known as a social activist and author, having penned over a dozen books. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Concerned fans expressed their thoughts and wished Abdul-Jabbar a swift recovery on various social media platforms, acknowledging his past battles, including his fight against cancer.
