Gentle Giant is an Understatement
Posted by VeRonda Wicks December 10th, 2009You know, I heard this news a few weeks back and just couldn’t believe it, let alone writing about it…
So, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has cancer. Yes. Specifically, its chronic myeloid leukemia. He was diagnosed, late 2008, but just recently shared it with the world. This Hall of Fame NBA basketball legend decided to share his disease as a way of saying that a cancer diagnoses doesn’t mean an automatic death sentence (Crazy, huh?).
Jabbar is fortunate that what he has is treatable. And even with this, he still experienced the common fear associated with this reality that death is around the corner. I just applaud his bravery and his heart that, even in this state, he’s still teaching and being a pillar of strength.
He appears to be such a great guy and, man, what a humbling spirit.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Dude is cool! I remember him from the neighborhood when I was growing up. My neighbor played for the Milwaukee Bucks at the time (Curtis Perry) and when they would come to town to play the Bullets, he would bring the fellas by his mother’s house where she would cook dinner for them.
I was in junior high school at the time and we didn’t have awe for professional athletes as folks do now. We would be playing football in the streets having a good time and Kareem and Oscar and the boys would come out and watch. On a couple of occasions, Kareem was the quarterback and so was Oscar. The play was always the same – everybody go long!
It was a good time and we didn’t seek autographs. It was just fun and as they departed they always told us to do well in school. Kareem being who he was, did not have to come out and play around with a bunch of kids in an urban neighborhood but he did. He was kind, funny, generous and serious at the same time if you can imagine that. We as kids celebrated our catches rather than who played quarterback and laughed as they talked about how pretty their passes were. We realized then that they were a bunch of tall kids with a lot of money.
Kid Funkedelic
December 15th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
hey, where’s my comment?!
December 15th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Great story, Kid… is it really a true one? You know I have to ask. In the chance that it is, it just speaks to such a great character and a humble one… Something that’s missing today.
BTW, sorry for the delay in posting your comment, Kid!