Lew Alcindor, raised Catholic, converted to Islam in 1968, the same year he declined to participate in the Olympic Games. He publicly changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, formerly known as Lew Alcindor in college, is one of the greatest basketball players ever. In his legendary career, he nearly went undefeated in college, playing a critical ...

NEW YORK — The story of young Lew Alcindor’s journey to basketball icon has been told, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never truly opened about his life — until now.

Lew Alcindor was the Bucks’ top overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. He converted to Islam in 1971, reverting to the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, before that, he led Milwaukee to the 1971 ...

Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, turns small change into big bucks : A drag on the court, at the gate and in the hearts of its fans, Milwaukee was transformed by the arrival of one man ...

In 1969, Lew Alcindor — the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — with his UCLA coach, John Wooden. (Associated Press) Their relationship evolved over nearly half a century.

A discussion of the people and things that had staying power in sports.

Finding a Lew Alcindor autograph, for example, is difficult after he stopped signing that way after his name change. He's declined requests from fans to sign his former name during collectible ...