The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is not Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or LeBron James. He is 70 years old and has written another book.
Whatever topic Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decides to tackle is worth a read. And the one of the NBA’s great elder statesmen has witnessed a renaissance of sorts in social activism among professional athletes.
Abdul-Jabbar’s latest book, “Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court,’’ describes his illustrious career, the highs and lows that cover much more than his 38,387 points, six MVPs, and six NBA championships.
“It’s an effort for me to reach a younger audience and give them some things to understand what I went through,’’ he said. “It makes a lot of good reading, I think, because kids today need to figure out what’s going on in terms of how to make good choices. I think that’s a big group of people for me to reach.’’
Abdul-Jabbar has been retired for 28 years. Misunderstood during his playing days, Abdul-Jabbar embraced Islam, social issues, and was considered moody and standoffish.
He has opened up more in the past few decades about his life. He stopped by Harvard University last season and talked with the basketball team, mostly about life and education.
“You never know how your path is going to be determined,’’ he said. “All of your life experience contributes to who you are as a person. I try to pick my topics as they come up. I pay attention to what’s going on in the world and sometimes there’s more than one surprise out there, and I try to keep an open mind.’’
Abdul-Jabbar is a cancer survivor and has been working with Coaches vs. Cancer to try to raise awareness. The diagnosis made him reflect on his life and his mortality.
“It’s been very important because just the fact [cancer] influences so many people’s lives and just me telling my story will help other people deal with things that have been life-threatening,’’ he said. “For me, being able to tell my story to help people understand they can beat these things. They can overcome the leukemia and live productive lives. It doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
“When you find out you’re dealing with something that could be life-threatening, it’s a tough day. My experience is no different than most people. Fortunately, I had good people around me, including my son, who was in medical school at the time.’’
Abdul-Jabbar said his health is good. And he has enjoyed athletes recently speaking out about social issues, including former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“I think it’s an important thing because of what’s going on in our country. There are issues that still need to be resolved,’’ Abdul-Jabbar said. “I hope people will find out what it is to learn, to mentor, and something that’s worked very well with me, being able to have and to be able to learn the things you want to learn a lot.’’
TOUGH TO FIGURE
Cuban doesn’t have all answers
Mark Cuban has strong opinions about nearly every NBA issue, but the Mavericks owner acknowledges he’s stumped on the one-and-done rule that allows players to enter the draft one year removed from high school. The NBA and Players Association are debating whether to change the rule.
The league would like to extend the period for entering the draft to two years. The union would like to allow players to enter the draft directly out of high school.
Cuban, who has watched Dennis Smith Jr. flourish as a rookie with the Mavericks after just one year at North Carolina State, doesn’t have a solution.
“I go back and forth on it a lot, but I think maturity matters,’’ Cuban said. “And it’s not like a typical business where there’s a draft, because if there’s a kid I want to come work with me because he’s working on his PhD in artificial intelligence, I can say go back and stay in school, I’ll have a job waiting for you. You can’t do that here. There’s a draft. It’s not the same as anybody else and you can’t just do it part time. Guaranteed contracts make a big difference, as well.’’
Cuban prefers more experienced players, but then he watches the 20-year-old Smith thrive and has second thoughts.
“You could point to Dennis and Jayson [Tatum] and they’re the ones having success, and you forget about the ones that haven’t had success. The ones that didn’t make it. The ones that got hurt, didn’t get an education, that are stuck,’’ said Cuban. “There’s a whole lot more of those across the landscape of Division 1. I prefer more school, and I don’t think you can pay kids to try to balance it that way because what people lose sight of is if you pay a kid and he’s an employee, you also can fire him.’’
Cuban said the idea of paying players to stay in college wouldn’t work if a player happens to have academic troubles. The issue is complex.
“What do you do if he drops out of school, keep on paying him?’’ Cuban said. “You’re not going to school and now you’re just a professional athlete, and professional athletes get cut. There’s two sides to everything. There is no obvious solution where this just solves all the problems. Look, there’s no downside to a kid getting another year of education, and the kids that are focused on one-and-done, most of those kids aren’t going to class the second semester, and that’s a problem.’’
Cuban did have an idea, however.
“I think the better way to solve it maybe is become more international,’’ he said. “Do like they do with soccer, create our own World Cup with 22 and under and let them play on club teams and pay for their school. I can go back and forth for a 100 different solutions.’’
One method Cuban has used to infuse his rosters with talent has been signing players from Europe. This summer, the Mavericks signed 25-year-old Maxi Kleber from Germany.
“It depends on where the team is in the life cycle,’’ Cuban said. “You can’t just grab a guy overseas and expect him to be a contributor that might be a roster player because they’re not going to get the time to contribute. And if you’re going real young like a lot of teams, then you just go real young and build the whole 19-, 20-year-old route. We like to go over there because they know how to play, and when you get a guy who’s going to be a rotation player, you don’t need to get a guy who’s going to be an eight-year All-Star and instead get a 20-year-old who’s not going to get any minutes.
“If you look at the bottom of other rosters, there’s a whole lot of guys sitting there. To me, 25, 26 is young, and the issue is what can they develop into, and with Maxi it was more about that he was hurt than anything else.’’
Kleber is averaging 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 23 games, 14 starts. He has boosted the Mavericks’ front line.
“He’s only going to get better,’’ Cuban said. “Once he learns to keep his hands up on defense and not get silly fouls, he’s going to get even better.’’
Chances are if the Mavericks finish in the draft lottery, one-and-done players will be available.
And the Mavericks will likely select the most mature prospect, comparable to Smith.
“Add one good piece from the draft, we’re better, add two good pieces, we’re contenders,’’ Cuban said. “Hopefully going in with a decent draft pick because it’s a deep draft and if we get something in free agency, fine. We’re not going to add something just to add. There’s so many teams in the middle, a lot of them have high salaries. I don’t see them just standing pat. So maybe there’s an opportunity there.
“I don’t expect anything crazy [in the coming weeks], there’s so many teams congregated in the middle that nobody is giving up. You’ve got Houston, Golden State, and everybody else, and Cleveland in the East. There’s three teams. Even Chicago and Dallas and Sacramento, the point is you don’t blow that up.’’
Cuban has a point. Many teams that were considered lottery-bound before the season are pushing for playoff spots.
The question is, should they make major moves if they’re on that playoff bubble and instead play for the draft lottery. Cuban does not want to completely rebuild. It’s a fluid situation.
“We got on a six-game winning streak, everybody is like, break up the Mavs,’’ he said. “We’re working to get better. Wes [Matthews] lays it out every night until he’s exhausted. All these guys are getting better because of that. Hopefully this is the new template. OK, you don’t have to be the worst of the worst. You want your guys to be in competitive situations.’’
ETC.
Healthy Okafor now in G-League
It’s not often that your first season is your best season, but that was the case with former No. 2 overall pick Emeka Okafor, who played for three teams over nine years in the NBA before injuries forced him to walk away from the game four years ago.
Okafor, 35, now with a healthy body and spirit, is trying for a return in the G-League.
He spent training camp with the 76ers and has played 11 games with the team’s G-League affiliate in Delaware, averaging 8 points and 8.5 rebounds, and shooting 61.3 percent from the field.
Taken after Dwight Howard in the 2004 NBA Draft, Okafor was a productive NBA center but was stuck on some struggling teams with the Bobcats and Hornets, and reached the postseason just once in nine years.
His numbers were solid for a defensive-minded center, but Okafor never approached the level of Howard, and then he was felled by back and knee injuries.
Okafor was traded by the Wizards to the Suns in October 2013 in the Marcin Gortat deal as a salary dump, and he never made an appearance with Phoenix.
He resurfaced this summer and signed a contract with the 76ers to give the NBA one final try.
“I just wanted to make sure I was properly rehabbed when I got back,’’ he said. “I didn’t want to have any hiccups. I wanted to make sure everything was in synch so I come back full force. The body is the least of my concerns. The body is feeling real good.’’
The NBA has changed considerably in the four years since Okafor departed. Big men are now stretching the floor and shooting 3-pointers.
Rugged defenders who score at the rim and concentrate on rebounding are becoming scarce. Perhaps that was why there wasn’t a major demand for Okafor’s services.
“I’ve always had a shot, it just wasn’t as emphasized,’’ he said. “So now coaches emphasize, hey, we want you to shoot. So, it’s a different mentality. The only difference is I’ve been working more on my threes, which has yet to make an appearance. It’s still a work in progress.’’
Okafor has yet to attempt a 3-pointer in the G-League. He is grateful just to be back in professional basketball, but he never officially retired. He concentrated on his personal life and building a family.
“Retirement never crossed my mind,’’ he said. “When I got injured, the plan was to come back. I thought it had to happen this season. If it’s going to happen, it was going to happen now.
“My body feels so fresh. I’m 35 but I feel 25. The time off not only saved my body from the bumps and bruises of a season, but I was actually able to rehabilitate myself and keep myself bouncy and add years to my career.’’
Okafor said he worked out feverishly, learning a lot about himself in the process. And he returned to a league filled with players a decade or more younger than him.
“I guess I’m at that stage,’’ he said. “It’s a blessing to even be in this position right now. This team is very youthful. I think I can add a veteran presence.’’
Layups
Indianapolis was awarded the 2021 All-Star Game this past week, as the NBA continues to encourage more cities to apply for the spring classic. Boston has not hosted an All-Star Game since 1964, and don’t expect it to happen any time soon. Celtics ownership doesn’t consider an All-Star Game a major priority, and they would need approval from Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, who also owns of TD Garden. Privately, the Celtics don’t believe hosting an All-Star Game is a profitable enough endeavor to endure putting on the game. Ownership is open to applying but it’s not a priority . . . Friday was the first day that players who signed free agent contracts this past summer were eligible to be included in trades, and there could be considerable movement before the Feb. 8 trade deadline . . . Kendrick Perkins said this past summer he wanted to return to the NBA, and after being waived by the Cavaliers during training camp he is playing for their Canton affiliate in the G-League. In 13 games for the Charge, the 33-year-old Perkins is averaging 10.9 points and 9.2 rebounds. Perkins worked himself into top condition and could be an option for a team in need of a defensive-minded center. Perkins last played in the NBA for the Pelicans two years ago. The NBA would love for the G-League to become a place for veterans to resuscitate their careers, and former first-round pick Terrence Jones is headed to the Santa Cruz Warriors after a stint in China. Jones was a consideration for the Celtics several months ago, but they didn’t receive good reports on his character. Jones carved out a role with the Rockets before injuries derailed his career, and he was ineffective in his stint with the Pelicans last season . . . Danny Ainge’s timing continues to be impeccable, this time in trading the final Brooklyn pick acquired in the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett trade. The Nets are winning on a semi-regular basis, and they now have the 11th-worst record in the NBA. Brooklyn also just acquired Jahlil Okafor and will get D’Angelo Russell back soon from a knee injury, so the Nets should continue to hover in the late lottery in a weakened Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers own the Nets’ pick, but the Celtics are hardly interested in seeing Cleveland land a Marvin Bagley III with their return.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
