NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed a past diagnosis of prostate cancer on Wednesday in a piece written for WebMD, the focus of which was health risks facing the African-American community.
"My life is at risk," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "Not just because I’m 73 with the usual annoying aches and pains that accompany age, but because I’m tall and I’m Black. At 7 feet, 2 inches, I’m statistically more prone to blood clots, lower back and hip problems, higher risk of cancer, especially prostate cancer, atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder), and a shorter life span in general. Being Black means I’m more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart problems, obesity, cancer, and a shorter life in general. Yup, tall people and Black people have shorter life expectancies.
"So far, in keeping with these statistical risks, I’ve had prostate cancer, leukemia, and heart bypass surgery."
Reflecting on the impact systemic racism has on healthcare — "a wide spectrum of health threats built into the foundation of American society as solidly as steel girders holding up a bridge," he wrote — and the fact that said inequalities have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Abdul-Jabbar said he feels a responsibility to ensure others receive the same care he's been afforded due to his elevated status in the sports world.
"I’m acutely aware that many others in the Black community do not have the same options," he wrote, "and that it is my responsibility to join with those fighting to change that."
Abdul-Jabbar has spent time working with University of California, Los Angeles to further those efforts.
"It’s one of the reasons I chose to become the UCLA Health Ambassador. I wanted to reach out to the Black community to make sure they were receiving the medical and health information that could save their lives, just as it had saved mine," he wrote. "The health challenges that are endemic to our community can be effectively addressed if people know they have a place to go that will help them."
A veteran of two decades in the NBA, Abdul-Jabbar remains the Association's all-time scoring leader and the only player to be named MVP six times. He's since gone on to become an actor, coach and best-selling author.
