Kareem

Do you think you are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's biggest fan? If you are, this is the book for you to read. This book is a diary of Kareem's last season in the NBA. He played an unheard of twenty years. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided he was going to retire after the 1989 season before it started. He thought of it as a farewell tour considering all of the other team's crowds would be secretly cheering for him in his final season of a fine NBA career. One thing he didn't realize right away was how he wasn't concentrating as much on the game but on his special honors he received at away games. Some things I liked were how Kareem had a diary kept for the whole season starting in training camp all the way through the finals. Also the diary wasn't just about the games as it included some talk about his family. A dislike was how it kind of became repetitive after reading the book for a while because Kareem's schedule was the same. This is another chance for all of you hardcore Laker and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fans to relive the 1988-1989 season through Kareem's eyes. This is a classic season. Could the Los Angeles Lakers win their third championship in a row? Find out by reading Kareem.

JABBAR AND AUTHOR MIGNON MCCARTHY COME UP WITH A SOLID AND INTERESTING MEMOIR ON THE LAST TIME AROUND FOR NBA GREAT KAREEM. I FOUND MOST OF THE INFO INTERESTING AND WELL TOLD. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT JABBAR'S PRIVATE LIFE BUT THAT IS WHY IT IS CALLED PRIVATE. HE WAS TRULY A LEGEND ON THE COURT AND SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY DECENT GUY OFF IT. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL FANS WHO FOLLOWED HIS CAREER AND WERE SAD TO SEE IT END. I REMEMBER HIM AT UCLA AND WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD BLOCK HIS SHOT RIGHT BACK IN HIS FACE. BUT AS TIME WENT ON, I ALONG WITH KAREEM MATURED. I REALLY CAN APPRECIATE AND RESPECT THIS LEGEND OF THE GAME.

"Kareem" is based on a personal diary written by the legendary center during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1988-89 campaign. As the quote from Jackie Robinson in the front of the book reminds us, "Athletes die twice." The Lakers were the two-time defending N.B.A. champions and going for a three-peat. However, in the finals against the Detroit Pistons the Lakers lost both of their starting guards and were swept in four straight. Suddenly Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career was over. Knowing that ending becomes important as you start reading this book, because, as Kareem says, "we were going for writing our names in the sky."This is not a great sports biography, but it is certainly interesting, mainly because you get the private reflections and personal memories of a man who was also introspective and usually aloof. When his home burned down and his priceless collection of jazz records and Persian rugs was destroyed, Kareem was touched by all the people who sent him records to replace what he had lost. I think it is obvious on at least one level opening up like this was Kareem's way of returning the favor, a "written good-bye" to the fans, his fellow players, and the game for which we was one of the greatest players ever. His final season provides the framework for the book, but Kareem does cover his entire life and playing career, so you will also read about John Wooden and Oscar Robertson as well as Pat Riley and Earvin Johnson. Fans of the game are well aware of what he had done on the court all those years; this book lets us know what he has been thinking.