Recently, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (you know, that guy who has scored more points than anybody else in NBA history) sat down on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen on Bravo. After recently starring on ABC’s reality show Splash, Abdul-Jabbar has been making some media rounds to discuss various things. One thing that Kareem talked about with Cohen was the potential of being a basketball coach and even touched on his desire to coach his former team – the Los Angeles Lakers.
During one segment in the show, callers get to ask the guests questions. One caller, Jim from North Carolina, asked Kareem about coaching the Lakers.
“I can tell you that really quickly. The answer is no.”
After the question, Cohen asked Kareem if that would be something he could see himself doing. Abdul-Jabbar was adamant that he would like the job, but mentioned potential roadblocks.
“I would be interested in it. But, you know, there’s a whole lot of politics involved and that’s okay.”
That doesn’t seem to get Kareem down, though, as he stated later on that he feels he would rather have the ability to coach a lower level than professional basketball, anyways.
“I think college would probably suit me better because being in an academic environment – that really suits my personality in terms of the things I’ve emphasized – education and literacy. Those are very important to me. So you know, working with college kids and teaching them the game would be great for me.”
Considering Kareem’s post-basketball career this isn’t that surprising. He’s published multiple picture books and has done extensive work with various charitable organizations. He’s also a cultural ambassador for the United States, a position he was given by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He has coached in the past but as an assistant. He was a special assistant for the Lakers, helping center Andrew Bynum for several years between 2005 and 2009.
Obviously Abdul-Jabbar isn’t attempting to take shots at the Lakers organization with his comments, but it’s obvious there might be a disconnect between himself and the franchise he’s been a part of for so many years. Whether or not he ever gets the chance to be a head coach, either in college or the NBA, is yet to be seen.
For the other segments of Kareem’s interview on Watch What Happens Live!, check out their official website.