Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The Guy Who Didn't Want to Be a Hero

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stands 2.18 meters tall, but his shadow on screen is even longer. In 1980, he agreed to be paid 30,000 dollars to star in Airplane! just because he wanted to buy an oriental rug. That rug cost exactly that amount, and the rest is comedy history.

It was a matter of decor.

Before becoming a Lakers star, he was a student of Bruce Lee. In 1978, he appeared in Game of Death wearing sunglasses and throwing choreographed kicks. It was a chaotic shoot. The physical contrast between Lee and Abdul-Jabbar created one of the most powerful images in martial arts films (and without any stunt doubles).

But film was never a whim for him. From a very young age, he understood that the camera could be a political tool. In 1972, he refused to take part in the Olympic Games over his convictions, and that same integrity carried over into his television appearances. And the bet paid off.

Screenplays, Rugs and Flying Kicks

After retiring, he focused on writing and producing socially driven documentaries. In 2011, he produced On the Shoulders of Giants, which explores the history of the Harlem Rens basketball team. He wasn't chasing easy applause. He wanted viewers to learn something new about segregation in the United States.

And he did it with the same precision as his skyhook on the court.

In 2018, he joined the writing team of the series Veronica Mars to bring his view on popular culture. He was not a mere consultant. He wrote dialogue and structured plotlines like any other professional in the industry. So his move from the court to the writers' room happened organically (and without unnecessary media noise).

But it wasn't all drama or social commitment. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of The Big Bang Theory where he poked fun at his own public image. Because Abdul-Jabbar knows that humor is the best way to stay relevant. His talent for self-parody has allowed him to work with directors of very different profiles.

In 2022, he made a brief appearance in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery playing himself in a Zoom game. Filming his scene took only a few hours. He earned the minimum salary set by the actors' union for this kind of cameo.