"Shiny new hip & lot of shiny thoughts" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives update on his health 2 days after hip injury

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently shared an update on his health, revealing that he had suffered a hip injury just two days prior. The six-time NBA MVP remains upbeat after a recent fall resulting in a broken hip during a concert in Los Angeles.

Abdul-Jabbar wrote an update on Substack on what happened to him during "The Manhattan Transfer's final public concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and said in a very humorous tone:

"I’d like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony, but I just tripped," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled."

The 76-year-old acknowledged that aging has been a great equalizer and shared the fact that 450,000 other Americans have hip replacement yearly. The five-time NBA champion also announced that he intends to take time off and recuperate from the injury while spending time with his family during the holidays:

"I will be taking a week or so off over the holidays to fully recuperate and spend time with my family. When I return, it will be with a shiny new hip and a lot of shiny thoughts to share," said Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls himself "Humty Kareem", and thanks UCLA Hospital for his recovery

Despite leaving in an ambulance with a broken hip, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar humorously dubbed himself "Humpty Kareem" and thanked the Los Angeles Fire Department for their assistance:

"You may have heard that Humpty Kareem had a great fall. It’s true," said Abdul-Jabbar in his note on his Substack account. "I was at The Manhattan Transfer’s final public concert at Disney Hall, ready to read a letter from Kamala Harris and provide some praise of my own for a group I love and admire."

Regretting his absence from their final show, the 19-time NBA All-Star sent heartfelt wishes to the iconic group from his hospital bed, promising to dance to their tunes once again with his new hip:

"I want to thank the Los Angeles Fire Department who assisted me on site and the amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of me now," Abdul-Jabbar said. "All my best to you from my hospital bed. Me and my new hip will be dancing to your tunes again. Well, gently swaying."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar boasts a remarkable basketball career with numerous accolades, including six NBA championships, six NBA MVP awards, 19 NBA All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA Team appearances and multiple defensive honors.

His impact on the sport is further commemorated with retired jersey numbers from both the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks franchises and appearances on NBA anniversary teams.