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...

I enjoy seeing new places.

I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis. That’s not normal, even for my age.

I listen to jazz mainly. Mainstream jazz.

I would suggest that teachers show their students concrete examples of the negative effects of the actions that gangsta rappers glorify.

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.

You’re never really cancer-free and I should have known that.

I had a moment like that with Wilt (Chamberlain). He knocked me out of bounds, I came back and faked him, came across the middle and dunked on him.

Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.

I want people to understand that I intend to continue living and doing all the things that I love to do up until the end. And the end is by no means rushing up on...

I pitched and I played the outfield.

But people don’t know if I can teach the game. I know I can. My experience in Oklahoma was positive. It opened my eyes to how the game is played — the interaction among players,...

You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.

I have always thought that writers come with any variety of attributes. Some are capable and some aren’t.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the 761st was Patton’s best tank unit and nobody knew about it.

I need about three seats lengthwise to sleep on a plane. It’s not easy for me to curl up.

Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.

Your mind is what makes everything else work.

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.

He ‘ s not a raw kind of talent. He ‘ s got some sophistication to his basketball game, and I think he will progress quickly.

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

I feel that there has been progress made since I was a boy on matters of race, but we have a long way to go.

I was a baseball fan myself, I wanted to play baseball.

We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today’s basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.

A lot of young players don’t really know much about the history of the game and a lot of them are missing out on what the game is all about, especially the whole concept of...

I rooted for the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn.

I’m not going to disappear.

I think a lot of people, if they get the opportunity to do some acting, they think, ‘I might be a star.’

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

Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don’t relate to.

Cancer is a scary thing and you have to deal with it seriously.

I can see how he would have received a great education here.

Today’s youth are told to get rich or die trying and they really shouldn’t take that attitude forward with them.

Yoga is just good for you.

I’m still my parent’s child, I’m still me, but I made a choice. I evolved into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I think it has to do with evolution.

It’s been a long time and a whole lot has happened, and it’s really a pleasure and a great opportunity for me to be back with the Lakers and be given this opportunity to help...

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

I think the NBA will certainly survive without Michael Jordan.

I’ve always tried to stay out of the fray and not be an object of controversy.

I think I did very well against everyone who tried to defend me.

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.

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...

I just like seeing the world, and it doesn’t matter where.

Elgin’s game was an incredible performance, also. I don’t think there’s any comparison. Elgin did it without three-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe’s range is unreal,...

I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.

I always thought I could do a good job coaching, but the opportunities have not presented themselves.

My health is fine.

That’s when my hopes went up because I know that I can help him do that, … He’ll be a good student and I’m sure that the Lakers will be happy with the progress he...

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...

My most memorable moment came in 1985 as we beat the Boston Celtics.