Kareem Abdul-Jabbar celebrated his greatest success with the Los Angeles Lakers during the “Showtime” era, which ended around the time of the great center’s retirement from basketball in 1989.
Abdul-Jabbar joined the Lakers in 1975. But the great center’s first NBA championship in L.A. came after Dr. Jerry Buss acquired the franchise in 1979 — and L.A. drafted Magic Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick that same year.
Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, and the Lakers won five NBA championships during the 1980s. The Showtime Lakers revolutionized the game and became a cultural phenomenon, making for a story so compelling it’s been the subject of three separate TV shows this year.
After the premiere of the latest series, “Legacy: The True Story of the Lakers,” Abdul-Jabbar revealed he started a podcast that will bring back the memories of L.A.’s Showtime days:
I just started a podcast and I hope you like it ! These are going to be private conversations between me and my Showtime teammates. I will be releasing new episodes every week… Enjoy !https://t.co/Lq0WUMNfSY pic.twitter.com/SVnfPy7v6x
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) August 19, 2022
Norm Nixon came on the first episode of Abdul-Jabbar’s “Skyhook: The Podcast,” talking about their Showtime teammates as well as some of the playing strategies they implemented in the ‘80s.
Abdul-Jabbar says Jerry West, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Kurt Rambis, Bob McAdoo and A.C. Green will all make an appearance in the upcoming episodes.
Lakers Nation has published an exclusive sneak peek into the next episode of “Legacy,” which will discuss the Succession-like dynamics between Dr. Buss’ children as they were taking on leading roles within the family’s sports franchises.
Abdul-Jabbar receives second Emmy Awards nomination for ‘Black Patriots’ series
Abdul-Jabbar’s media career has been a success, leading to two Emmy Awards nominations for narrating the “Black Patriots” series.
This year, the Lakers legend has been nominated in the “Outstanding Narrator” category for his work on History Channel’s “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War” documentary. He will compete for the award with David Attenborough, Lupita Nyong’o, Barack Obama, and W. Kamau Bell.
Two years ago, Abdul-Jabbar was in the running for the Emmy in the same category for his narration of “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution.” Attenborough eventually won the award.
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