Sports Legends from the State of New York

Many famed personalities and celebrities call New York their home. In the world of sports, some players have gained fame playing for New York teams while others are native sons that gained famed elsewhere. Two of the most celebrated basketball players in the modern era are New York natives. These are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan.

Hall-of-famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in Manhattan. He played his high school ball at Power Memorial Academy, located in the Inwood section of Manhattan, where he led the team to a 79-2 record and three consecutive New York City Catholic championships. After high school, he spent four years at UCLA under legendary basketball coach John Wooden where he led the Bruins to three NCAA championships and was named College Basketball Player of the Year twice.

Abdul-Jabbar spent 20 years in the NBA, the first six with the Milwaukee Bucks and the last fourteen with the L.A. Lakers. A ten time NBA first team all star, Abdul-Jabbar ended his career with 38,387 points, six NBA championship titles, and named the league MVP six times. Arguably the greatest player ever to don an NBA uniform, Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn but raised in North Carolina. He was a star on the North Carolina basketball team and guided the Tar Heels to the NCAA basketball championship in 1982.

Drafted third in the NBA draft in 1984, Jordan played 14 years in the league, most notably with the Chicago Bulls, which he guided to six NBA championships. In Jordan’s tenure, he was voted as an NBA first team all star 14 times, ended his career second behind Abdul-Jabbar with 32,292 points, was named league MVP five times, and was named NBA finals MVP six times.