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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a man of peace, harmony, and social service today. For most of his career and in retirement, he's been an activist for civil rights.
By that description, you'd assume Abdul-Jabbar to be one of the most calm, collected, and saintlike beings. Well, you'd be wrong.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played during a time when violence on the court was on the same level as what you would see in a boxing ring. Players were ultraphysical, and fistfights were commonplace. And he was no stranger to them, either.
KAJ played on two teams in his career: the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Lakers.
In 1977, Kent Benson, who was the first overall pick of the draft for the team Kareem was once a part of, went against Lakers, who were looking to win a title for the first time since 1972. In his first NBA game, Benson took a shot at the "Big Fella," elbowing him straight in the stomach.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar keels over from a shot to the stomach and goes back to get one in
In the throwback clip, you can see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar matching up with rookie Kent Benson, only for Jabbar to take a painful blow to the midriff.
Winded for breath, Jabbar took a few seconds, before casually walking up to the unaware rookie and landing a right hook to a ball-watching Benson. Shaken not only by the act of the punch but the intent of the punch itself, Benson stumbled and fell.
If social media existed back then, fans may have crashed every site possible to see the GOAT pull such a move. Fans lost it when LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart went at each other two seasons ago. This could have broken the internet.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not just a sky hook machine, he had a mean right hook too. He was, after all, a close friend of Muhamad Ali and Bruce Lee.
Kent Benson was not the same man again, having his face rearranged in the first two minutes of his professional career. He ended up having a decent pro career, retiring at the age of 35 after 12 seasons in the NBA and one season abroad.
