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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, arguably one of the top five NBA players of all time, was hospitalized after breaking his hip at a concert.
On Friday, the 76-year-old man underwent surgery at the UCLA Hospital.
The concert occurred in the Los Angeles area, where Abdul-Jabbar went to pay tribute to the Manhattan Transfer. At the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Abdul-Jabbar could not express his gratitude for the group during the performance.
According to Variety, members of the Manhattan Transfer have stated that the show on Friday would be the last showing ever after a more than 50-year-run.
Deborah Morales, his lifetime business partner, stated that Abdul-Jabbar had an accidental fall, resulting in his broken hip.
“Last night while attending a concert, Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip. He will have surgery today. We are 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,” she said.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has faced many challenges
In recent years, Abdul-Jabbar has been dealing with medical emergencies. He has dealt with prostate cancer, leukemia, and heart bypass surgery. The NBA legend wrote for WebMd, saying after fighting each illness, he has been lucky to survive, as most men have not.
“I’ve been fortunate because my celebrity has brought me enough financial security to receive excellent medical attention. No one wants an NBA legend dying on their watch. Imagine the Yelp reviews,” Abdul-Jabbar jokingly stated.
Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time MVP and played 20 seasons in the NBA while scoring over 38,000 points. For almost four decades, he held the NBA’s all-time scoring record, until Lebron James surpassed it in February.
Abdul-Jabbar played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He retired in 1989 at 42 years old.