How tall is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Putting his height and stats into perspective compared to modern NBA centers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the best players in the history of the NBA. Standing at 7-foot-2, the center was able to dominate his opponents and become the league's all-time leading scorer.

While Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record was recently broken by LeBron James, his legacy is still very impressive. The center was fantastic on both ends of the floor, which is why he's one of the all-time great players.

The 6-time MVP used his height to lead the league in scoring twice and become one of its top scorers. In comparison to him, modern centers are a mostly shorter, which comes as no surprise considering how much basketball has changed.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's height compared to modern NBA centers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played from 1969 to 1989. Basketball was much different back then and the courts did not even have 3-point lines during Kareem's first 10 seasons in the basketball league.

In the 2022-23 NBA season, there are only six players who are 7-foot-2 or taller. Out of them, only Bol Bol (7-foot-2) and Kristaps Porzingis (7-foot-3) have played significant minutes.

Kristaps Porzingis is taller than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Image via Getty Images)

As great as these two players are, their style of play is much different than what we saw from Abdul-Jabbar. Porzingis frequently shoots 3-pointers, while Bol has had several coast-to-coast dunks this season.

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Joel Embiid, who currently leads the NBA in scoring, stands at seven feet, while Nikola Jokic is listed at 6-foot-11. Bam Adebayo, another great center, stands at only 6-foot-9.

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Abdul-Jabbar's stats compared to modern centers

Comparing players from different eras is not entirely pointless, but it's very difficult to do. Considering how much the league has changed over the last few decades, it's not surprising that modern centers have become great 3-point shooters.

The 6-time MVP took only 18 shots during his season, making only one. He mostly played close to the basket and utilized his strength and height to punish his opponents and score over them.

Embiid is one of the best players in the NBA right now (Image via Getty Images)

Let's take a look at Abdul-Jabbar's stats compared to modern centers, including Dwight Howard and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Player/Stat	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
Abdul-Jabbar	24.6	11.2	3.6	0.9	2.6	55.9	5.6	72.1
Embiid	26.9	11.2	3.4	0.9	1.6	49.6	34.0	81.6
Jokic	24.9	10.4	6.6	1.2	0.7	55.0	34.8	82.9
Howard	15.7	11.8	1.3	0.9	1.8	58.7	21.4	56.7
Towns	23.1	11.2	3.2	0.8	0.7	52.7	39.3	83.5

Adding Howard to the list may not be fair since he spent a lot of time playing off the bench. However, he is one of the rare modern centers who kept playing close to the rim and did not rely on the 3-point shot.

You may be interested in reading: Understanding the role of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's height in his domination with signature shot 'Skyhook'

Abdul-Jabbar recently pointed out how he wasn't allowed to run the break as a center. Even though he was a superstar, his job was to pass the ball to the point guard after grabbing a rebound, which is not something modern centers always do.

Jokic is one of the best passers in the league (Image via Getty Images)

Basketball has drastically changed and so has the center position. It's great that so many players have successfully adapted to the new rules and new style of play, and that is why we have so many point centers and forwards in the league.

While Jokic is an exceptional passer, Towns is very gifted at knocking down long-range shots. Embiid is the perfect two-way player, while Howard used to be unstoppable around the rim.

Positionless basketball allows taller players to use their strength to dominate the league. This wasn't the case during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's iconic career, although he would have loved to do some of the things that modern NBA centers do.