The Sports Weekly

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia.  Abdul-Jabbar 62 said his doctor wouldn’t promise anything but told him he has a pretty good chance of living out his life, and that he wouldn’t have to make extreme changes to his lifestyle. Kareem is a paid spokesman for the pharmaceutical company Novartis, whom provide Abdul-Jabbar with an oral medication that treats his illness. Abdul-Jabbar acknowledges former Lakers great Magic Johnson for his work with HIV and reaching out to the community, Kareem hopes to be an example for others with his illness and to bring awareness to all. Kareem was tested last year at UCLA, where he spent his college playing days dominating basketball. He said he would experience hot flashes and sweating on a normal basis, an exam was taken and revealed a high white blood cell count which was what the doctor diagnosed him with leukemia. Abdul-Jabbar is currently a special assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers, and says he hasn’t had to drop down his level of activity with the team.  Kareem is the NBA’s all-time scoring leader with 38,387 points, he has been a record six time league MVP, and a six time NBA champion.