Dec. 16 (UPI) — NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fell and broke his hip while attending a concert in Los Angeles, longtime business partner Deborah Morales said Saturday.
In a posted statement, Morales said the 76-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers star was scheduled for surgery at the University of California-Los Angeles Hospital following his fall on Friday night.
“We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem, especially from the Los Angeles Fire Department who assisted Kareem on site and the amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of Kareem now,” Morales said.
She did not provide details on what caused Abdul-Jabbar’s fall. She also did not reveal the headliner of the show where the 7-foot-2 former athlete lost his footing.
Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA MVP, spent 20 seasons in the NBA, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1969 to 1975, while helping the team capture a championship in only his second season.
The big center spent the rest of his career with the Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships between 1975 and 1989 during the squad’s golden era, alongside the likes of Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis and James Worthy.
Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA scoring title for 39 years before LeBron James broke the record in February while also playing for the Lakers.
In 2008, Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, and in 2020, the former athlete revealed that he had developed prostate cancer.
