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The NBA community has always found a way to show its appreciation towards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But even with all the awards and success he's achieved through the years, sports analyst Shannon Sharpe said that the legend is easy to dislike.
Abdul-Jabbar is one of basketball's most iconic players His influence in the league is known by most fans, and he's widely respected by players. The all-time leading scorer is easily one of the greatest of all time. Based on his career accomplishments, it's easy to make a case for him as the greatest.
Although his scoring record might be broken by the LA Lakers' LeBron James this season, his other records are still going to help his GOAT case.
Despite Abdul-Jabbar's career achievements, Sharpe talked about why Abdul-Jabbar was easily disliked. Sharpe also discussed why he prefers James over Abdul-Jabbar as the greatest.
"Kareem is the greatest high school basketball player. There's no doubt that he's the greatest college basketball player, and you can make a case he is the greatest NBA player." Sharpe said. "He has six MVPs, he has six championships, third most rebounds, most points, 10 NBA Finals.
"But for whatever reason, he was really surly. ... He was a guy that was really easy to dislike. So for me, I got LeBron one, and I got Kareem No. 2, but there's no question about it."
It's almost unimaginable to see an all-time great get disrespected by modern sports analysts. Yes, Kareem wasn't the flashiest player, but his winning ways helped define his legacy. He may not be No. 1 in Sharpe's book, but for most NBA players, Abdul-Jabbar takes the top spot.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar should be in most GOAT discussions
For most NBA fans, it's always down to two names: Michael Jordan and LeBron James. While most have no problem with that, others have considered other players.
Some tend to overlook what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has accomplished. They only know him as the record holder for the most points in league history. That's fair, but there are other aspects of the game that have defined Kareem's basketball career.
Abdul-Jabbar is a 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, six-time MVP, six-time champ, two-time Finals MVP, 1969-70 Rookie of the Year and a Hall of Famer. That's just some of his NBA accolades.
When he was in college, the 7-foot-2 center was an NCAA champion, Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament and national player of the year three times each. And it likely would have been four for each, but freshmen were ineligible to play on the varsity. He was inducted in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
With a heavy resume like Abdul-Jabbar's, he should be considered the greatest basketball player in history. Not to mention, he did all this while the game was in the middle of evolution.
