ABU DHABI // During much of his 20-year career in professional basketball, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was broadly, if not charitably, characterised as enigmatic.
That was perhaps the kindest term ascribed to the 7ft 2in centre, one of the most dominant players in National Basketball Association history. He set a cluster of league records, but was a runaway league leader in another category, one he now regrets.
Abdul-Jabbar not only dominated the sport for two decades, but was also its most inaccessible player, withdrawn and media shy – making the reinvention of his public image all the more remarkable. He dominated the sport for two decades, mostly while wearing a trademark set of goggles to protect his eyes. But they might as well have been dark sunglasses, given that few knew him personally.
Retired as a player since 1989, he has a morphed into a genuine public figure, developed a cultural conscience and become a media bon vivant, with eight books, magazine credits and a slew of television appearances on his resume.
This week, Abdul-Jabbar served as the frontman of a new healthy living campaign involving the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, which has a clinic in Abu Dhabi, in its fight to stop the escalation of the disease in the region. The Arabian Gulf has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world.
Not long ago, asking Abdul-Jabbar, now 67, to voluntarily stand before the bright camera lights and a table filled with microphones would have provoked little more than an icy stare. Perhaps he was a bit misunderstood after all, since he is clearly making up for lost time.
“I think people were wrong about me all along, but I made my path difficult by being unwilling to engage,” Abdul-Jabbar said on Thursday.
He is paying it forward now.
Abdul-Jabbar’s career dates to an uncertain social period in the United States, and his decision to convert to Islam in 1968 was the source of much wonderment and confusion among fans. Given the explosive racial undercurrent in the US at the time, it was understandable that he became defensive about his religion.
“I certainly would have handled it differently, in that I would have taken more time to explain myself,” he said. “I changed my name and just told everybody: ‘Look, I’m Muslim, don’t ask me any questions.’ That was not wise.
“You have to take the time to explain things and make people feel comfortable with why you do things. I certainly had the ability to do that, and didn’t take the opportunity. In that sense, I missed an opportunity.”
He even had to explain his decision to his parents, which was difficult. He was named after his father, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr, a New York policeman. Abdul-Jabbar would become one of the most famous Muslim athletes in sports history, perhaps second only to Muhammad Ali, but it was a controversial decision.
“I changed my name because I wanted to have an Islamic identity,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I felt that the name I was born with was the result of the slave trade, and it was not something I was proud of. I love my family and did not want to reject them.
“I explained it to my parents. I didn’t just tell them, ‘take it or leave it’. I tried to explain because they were concerned.I don’t know how happy they were, but when they saw that it was something I really wanted to do, and that it was sincere in my heart, they tried to accommodate me.”
Whereas his decision to change religions decades ago was greeted mostly by curiosity, Abdul-Jabbar senses that the western views of Islam have changed since the attacks on 9/11, and not for the better.
“People now look at Islam in a different way,” he said. “Moderate Muslims and Muslims who do not believe in murder and anarchy, they have to stand up and make a statement ... I don’t know if they are doing enough. I’d really have to look at that.
“Certainly, the world has not gotten any friendlier to Muslims, and that, again, is a result of all the fanaticism and chaos.”
Before he became a bridge-building healthy living emissary, Abdul-Jabbar blazed trails in other areas, too. In an era before year-round fitness became a n occupational necessity for pro athletes, Abdul-Jabbar discovered yoga. He began meditating while still in high school, then began taking classes in 1970, after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He met Bikram Choudhury, an instructor with several famous clients.
It was a decision that is at the core of Abdul-Jabbar’s healthy-living mantra.
“He got me doing postures, and that really lengthened my career and enabled me to play very well until the end of my career,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
“It was a real challenge, going to class and seeing all these women, and it was so easy for them. You get jealous and want to learn how to do it.”
Aside from yoga and basketball, he also took lessons from martial-arts movie star Bruce Lee, which helped his flexibility, another of his career-extending attributes. Martial arts are a huge part of the sports picture in the UAE.
“Martial arts helped me in that it made me understand that I needed to be prepared for what I would encounter – and that’s trouble,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “But I applied that to my job, also. Working with Bruce was wonderful, because he was all about being in shape and being prepared for whatever you would encounter. I took those lessons to heart.”
While enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar played for John Wooden, the most successful college coach in basketball history. Wooden, who died in 2010 at the age of 99, was just as renowned for the messages he imparted to players that had little to do with the sport.
“I don’t know if it was like playing for Yoda, but it was a great experience,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He was a very wise man, and he taught us how to be great athletes, but he also taught us how to be great husbands, fathers and good citizens. He wanted us to educate ourselves and do good things in the world. I will always have a place in my heart for him.He was an extraordinary human being.”
That similar terms might someday be used to describe Abdul-Jabbar’s crusade to stem the global diabetes tide speaks volumes about the reclamation of his public persona.
“Diet and exercise are the keys to longevity and healthy living,” he said. “If that message gets across in the UAE, then I have done my job.”
selling@thenational.ae
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
UAE%20SQUAD
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
Formula%204%20Italian%20Championship%202023%20calendar
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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