Kareem on being overlooked despite a resume no one can match: "Did some incredible things out there that people can only think about""

Kareem on being overlooked despite a resume no one can match: "Did some incredible things out there that people can only think about"" originally appeared on Basketball Network.Even as a Hall of Famer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has spent more time than most trying to explain himself.

His legacy may be glittered with statistics and trophies.

Still, it's also layered with social impact, political weight and a style of dominance that often flew too close to elegance to be seen for what it was: unmatched greatness.

And still, despite all he achieved, the six-time champion and league's all-time leading scorer for nearly four decades remains startlingly aware of just how often the world overlooked him.Being overlookedAbdul-Jabbar's career totals speak for themselves: a former all-time scoring leader, 19 NBA All-Star appearances, six MVP awards, and a resume that begins with NCAA perfection at UCLA and ends with championship rings from two dynasties.

But if perception ever matched production, Abdul-Jabbar would sit unquestioned at the summit of basketball's pantheon.

Instead, he's often been made to explain why he belongs there.

Sometimes drawing comparisons that stretch beyond basketball.

"I always compare myself in that sense to Roberto Clemente," Abdul-Jabbar said.

"He made it look easy.

He did some incredible things out there that people can only think about.

I think we were cursed the same way."Like Abdul-Jabbar, Roberto Clemente was admired and misunderstood.

He was an elite performer whose cool execution sometimes dulled the intensity of his brilliance in the public eye.

Clemente died a hero, but even then, it took years before the world caught up to the weight of what he had done both on and off the field.

Cap knows that feeling well.Abdul-Jabbar's era demanded players conform, smile and assimilate.

He refused.

He changed his name at the height of his college dominance.

He walked away from the 1968 Olympics in protest.

He stood beside Muhammad Ali during the Vietnam draft resistance.

While others floated on endorsement deals and public adoration, he stood his ground.

The costs were subtle but constant: media friction, a cold relationship with fans and a press that often cast him as distant.He wasn't angry but was private, not detached, just discerning.

And in a league that preferred its stars more digestible, Abdul-Jabbar was never willing to shrink himself to fit.

His patented skyhook, a move so elegant it seemed mechanical symbolized both his consistency and his paradox.

It was unstoppable, but history didn't cheer loud enough.Related: "He was nice until I realized he was old" - Gilbert Arenas explains how he got back at John Stockton in his sophomore yearKareem's legacyAbdul-Jabbar's consistency became camouflage.

Night after night, year after year, he delivered.

And in doing so, he made the extraordinary feel routine.

That's where the underappreciation starts, not in absence, but in expectation.

He was always there, always brilliant, and so the world assumed he always would be.It took many decades before LeBron James finally surpassed Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record in 2023.

The Hall of Famer was in the building that night, gracious and composed, passing the torch with dignity.

But the applause that filled the arena wasn't only for James, it was also a belated echo for the six-time champion, whose scoring crown had stood since 1984, untouched by generations of stars.In recent years, the NBA has taken deliberate steps to recontextualize its legends.

The league renamed the Social Justice Champion award after him.

They've highlighted his activism, his authorship, his intellectual rigor.

His impact outside the court is now widely discussed.

But Abdul-Jabbar has always known that legacy isn't just about what happens after one's career.

It's about how much was seen and unseen while it unfolded.

For decades, he wasn't merely the best player in basketball; he was the most consistent representation of what greatness looked like when excellence was sustained.

Related: "I maintained that attitude for way too long" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar admits he regrets not showing a friendlier personality during his basketball careerThis story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared..

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