Kareem Abdul Jabbar a stylish farewell
On April 23, 1989 – 1989: The Los Angeles Lakers bid Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a stylish farewell. Kareem’s 25th — and final — stop on his retirement tour comes at home at the Forum. Among the presents he receives during a 45-minute retirement ceremony are a 1989 Rolls Royce “Silver Light” (reported cost: $175,000) from his teammates and a lighted tennis court to be installed at his home in Hawaii from Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
“Sometimes we take this team thing for granted,” Lakers coach Pat Riley says. “We get jaded and cynical. (Kareem) is not just another guy. He’s larger than life, and we’ve had the opportunity to be with him.”
Though unaccustomed to public displays of affection, Abdul-Jabbar seems genuinely moved by the ceremony. “It was kind of hard to cry,” he says. “When I’m happy, I’ll smile.” And, for a change, Abdul-Jabbar is smiling a lot.
In his last regular-season game of his 20-year career, Abdul-Jabbar scores 10 points in the Lakers’ 121-117 victory over the Seattle Sonics. He retires as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points among his plethora of records. He is the only player to win six MVP awards.
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