Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
(1947)
American basketbal player
July 19 2000 - Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was arrested Tuesday night for investigation of driving under the influence of marijuana.
The former Los Angeles Lakers and UCLA star was taken into custody about 7 p.m. after a police officer who pulled him over for speeding smelled marijuana fumes coming from the open window of his car, said Officer Eduardo Funes, a police spokesman.
Abdul-Jabbar failed a field sobriety test administered near the San Fernando Valley intersection where he was stopped, Funes said. He was taken to a local jail, where he was booked on the misdemeanor charge and released on his own recognizance.
``Mr. Abdul-Jabbar was very respectful of the officers who arrested him, and very cooperative,'' Funes said.
Abdul-Jabbar, 53, is the NBA's career scoring leader with 38,387 points in the regular season and 44,149 total, including the playoffs.
The 7-foot-2 center, known for his all-but-unstoppable hook shot, led the UCLA Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships before joining the NBA.
In a career spanning 20 seasons, Abdul-Jabbar played in 19 All-Star games and won six MVP awards.
He played on six NBA championship teams, including one with the Milwaukee Bucks and the last five with the Los Angeles Lakers when he teamed with guard Magic Johnson during the Lakers' Showtime era of the 1980s.
He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers this past season.
Tuesday marked the second time in two years Abdul-Jabbar has run into trouble with the law over marijuana. He paid a fine in the spring of 1998 after surrendering a small amount to officers at an airport in Toronto.
The basketball great has said he uses the drug to alleviate the migraine headaches that have bothered him for years.
``I use it to control the nausea which comes with the headaches,'' he said during a book signing earlier this year.
source; Los Angeles (AP)
Lewis changed his name to in the early 1970's when he converted to Islam. He played with the Bucks for 6 years, being named the League MVP in a Milwaukee uniform in 1971, 1972 and 1974 (he would win 3 more as a Laker). Kareem won his only NBA title with the Bucks, and fellow Hall of Fame great Oscar Robinson in 1971. Four of his six years in Milwaukee he averaged better than 30 points a game.
The Milwaukee era ended with his trade to the Lakers for the 1975-76 season. In Los Angeles he won 3 more MVP Trophies (1976, 1977 and 1980) and teamed up with another MVP, Magic Johnson, to win 5 more NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988). Kareem was also named the NBA Finals MVP in 1971 and 1985. Over his career, Kareem won 6 MVP Trophies and 6 World Championships, along with 9 NBA all-time records.
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