What, then, will incite Alcindor and keep his interest? The same thing that incites all great athletes—a competitive challenge.
Tag Archives: Lew Alcindor
Balls of Confusion: Signing Lew Alcindor, 1969
Brown handed him the certified check from Chemical Bank. Alcindor fingered the paper, eyed his name printed as clearas day across the middle, and handed it back. “Mr. Brown said to me, ‘We’ll give you a million dollars,’” recalled Alcindor, but without mentioning a timeframe.
Secret Plot to Make NBA Champs of Milwaukee Bucks, 1971
The man making the offer was Wes Pavalon, owner of the Bucks, a 36-year-old multimillionaire. “There’s nothing mysterious about paying tremendous salaries to tremendous athletes,” Pavalon insists, “or in making them happy in other ways.”
Lew Alcindor: First Million-Dollar Baby? 1969
Elvin Hayes has already got half a million. Alcindor can get that on one foot.
The Quiet Rebellion of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1972
His new name translates from the Arabic into the generous servant of the all-powerful—Kareem (generous), Abdul (the servant), Jabbar (all-powerful or subduer).
The Truth Behind the Chamberlain-Jabbar Feud, 1973
Friendship was only skin deep. But competition was their lives and does not wipe away the driving force of one’s existence simply because some young man comes along and you like him.
Joe Lapchick: Down Memory Lane, 1969
There is no bitterness in the man because he played in a time when the game was not appreciated, and the rewards were relatively few.
Connie Hawkins: No Harm, No Foul, 1970
One thing Connie Hawkins will do for Phoenix is solidify the franchise overnight. No team can exist for long in the NBA today without a superstar, and Connie Hawkins fills the gap at Phoenix.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: A Seven-Footer with Roots, 1977
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar knows where he came from, knows where he’s at, and has an idea where he’s going.
Red Auerbach: The New York Knicks are Overrated, 1971
No one can tell Auerbach what it takes to win a championship, nor can anyone tell him what it is like to remain a champion.
From Way Downtown 