Could you tell us about your charity?
Uh, um, I'll be playing for my foundation, the Skyhook Foundation, and it's, uh, basically it's set up to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youth through the creation and support of educational and sports programs.
Are you more or less nervous to play Jeopardy! this time?
Uh, I'm probably more nervous, 'cause, uh, I'm--I--I--I won both times I played before, so, you know, you--you can't bat a thousand forever, so I'm worried a little bit.
Did you prepare differently for this appearance than the last time?
Uh, no, there's--it's very difficult to prepare for this, 'cause it--it's so eclectic. So, uh, you know, there's--you can't, like, go and find a book that has Jeopardy! questions in it. You know, you can watch the show a little bit. And, that--that's about it.
How might your experience as an athlete give you an edge?
No--your experience as an athlete can help you in that, uh, you learn to focus and, uh, eliminate all of the distractions. That--that's always, uh, a good thing to do, because if you--if you're worried about other things, uh, you can't really focus on what--what you want to get done. |
"He's one of the greatest NBA players in history. Here's Hall of Famer and the NBA's all-time leading scorer..."
2012 Power Players Week player.
2009-2010 Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational quarterfinalist.
1998 Celebrity Jeopardy! Legends in Sports Night winner: $22,000 for Athletes & Entertainers for Kids.
1994 Celebrity Jeopardy! player.
Playing on behalf of the Skyhook Foundation.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is considered by many fans and sportswriters to be the greatest basketball player of all time. The 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center, famous for his indefensible skyhook, also dominated the NBA for 20 years. He not only captured the NBA's MVP six times, was a 19-time All-Star, and set the NBA all-time records in nine categories — he also remains the NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer, a record that may never be broken.
But as Kareem himself says, "I can do more than shoot a ball through a hoop." And indeed he can. A lifelong passion for history led to his authoring six best-selling books on various historical subjects. His knowledge and love of jazz birthed not only an audio book (based on one of his NY Times best-selling hardcover, On the Shoulders of Giants) but an upcoming documentary that features a myriad celebrities, from Samuel L. Jackson and Billy Crystal to Quincy Jones and Maya Angelou. Kareem is also executive producing an exciting feature film in development based on the greatest basketball team you've never heard of: The Harlem Rens, the first professional champions of professional basketball. Beyond that. Kareem is very involved in "giving back" through the Skyhook Foundation, whose mission is to promote and support literacy and sport programs as a vehicle to improve the lives of disadvantaged youth and communities around the globe. |
