Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on NBA, Activism, and Personal Growth

and everything. But how did it make you feel? I have to say, I'm pretty glad that my role in it was finished, you know, but Lebron worked real hard for it. He deserves it. He has spent his adult life as a premier athlete and done an exceptional job at it, and his heart is in the right place. I don't know you probably you may or may not know how he sent a whole school district to college. Yeah, a whole lot he could be doing with that tuition money, you know, Yeah, he could be on his own island,

but you know that that's where its heart is. And so I got a lot of respect for him. I wish him will Yeah, you were so gracious and it's such a very zone absense of ego. And I heard you say and Jimmy Fallon like you were like, oh, it's like a burden's been lifted, you know, like it's done with that. I'm done with that, you know. And it was just I thought that was very interesting and and so cool and and you know, it's interesting how great the greats. You know, you're real tall, you're gifted

at basketball. But what people don't realize is the the the work that's put into it. That you were the kid who had the keys to the gym after everyone went home and worked on that sky hook and you know, and it really is about getting that ten thousand hours and being dedicated. And I think that's something that kids don't necessarily put together when they see just a star or someone who's the goat. You know, it's pretty I know,

that's not a question. I also want to point out, by the way, I'm very happy for Lebron, but I will say that your points were scored two at a time. Mostly a lot of people don't put that together. But yeah, thank you. I okay, let me ask you this, I don't even know how to ask it. But my best friend, Tall John, he's it's an unronic nickname. He's tall and he's six ten, and I remember he's very shy, he's

not a performer. And I remember he told me I know what it's like to be famous, because when I walk into a room, people are like, look at the guy.

You know, look what the guy is. You know, as an eighth grader who is seven feet tall, I bet you can relate to what it is to be famous in the way of it being very self conscious, you know, very kind of and you know, I remember seeing that like you were fourteen, you you were an eighth grader playing with the seniors because you were so tall and you it was one time you cried and that was what made you put on this game face that's kind of stoicism and in a way, that's kind of a

survival skill. Do you think that's part of being this kid that was so tall at your news. I think at that time that's how I coped, you know, because I didn't know how to cope, you know. And I remember I was at age fourteen and I went to Madison Square Garden to see a game, and the guy asked me for my autograph. I said, you don't know who I am. Oh, I know you are. No, you don't know who I am. And we went back and forth for it. I said, well, I'll get rid of this guy. And I signed my my name and he

said this is some stupid name. You thought, oh, and evolved it up and he threw it away. And you know, talk about crushed egos, but you know that that's, uh, that's how you learn the ropes. You know, you gotta

have to take your licks. You know, it's not it's not fun, but you know, being uh, the person that I am and what I wanted to do with my life, I've been able to do it since I've retired, you know, I mean, I'm you know, I was always a fan of your basketball, but I became moved to super fandom when just reading your writing and your your pieces and your sub stack and your you know you. I mean, I think of myself as someone who does odd jobs.

You I feel very much kindred spirit with you. You know, you you write for Time magazine and then you've got your sub stack and then like you wrote for Veronica Mars and then you know, it's so cool. You know, you watch The Bachelor and you write it on pieces on it for you You would write for the Hollywood Reporter, and they were so thoughtful and um, they weren't just fluff, even the Bachelor stuff, because it is so fascinating to watch these people and to think about what's going on

in their minds. And well, you know, my my manager, entering of Deles enabled me to figure out a way to express all of this and make it work as a as a limit. You know, getting paid for doing something that you love is like almost as good as

playing basketball and getting paid. So yeah, you know there are people there are It's such a rare gem of a thing when you know, like singer songwriters, Like when someone can write beautiful songs and they happen to be great singers, like that's just such a wonderful, happy accident. And with you, with writing, you have all this experience, all these ideas, all this these you know, progressive thoughts. You're so introspective, and then on top of it, you're

this like beautiful writer. You know, like the way you put words together, I find, you know, thrilling. You know, Uh, Cole Porter was that talented in that he could write songs and write the lyrics for them and they go together like hand in glove. Very few people like that though. Yeah, well you're one of them. But did all? I did a lot of these. Hold on, I'm not going to do that one yet. Hold on, listen, I've got little notes for myself. Of course, there's this one I got

to know Robin Williams did. Yeah, and you and him have you share the same you can? You share the same talent in that you can get people to laugh when they're hurting and h Robin was exceptional at that. And I'm so sorry he's going. He was a beautiful man and I missed him. But you've resived this spirit. You are much like how Robin with what being Billy Crystal started. Um, I can't remember what's called comic relief? Um. You you've been very active in activist. You've been an

activist for a long time. What was that inciting incident? What got you? Well? For me, it was the murder of Emmett Till that bothered me and I couldn't understand it. I asked my parents to explain it. They didn't have the words. So I've spent my life since then trying to figure out how to get us all to tamp down on the hatred and and to know and respect and love each other. That's where we gotta go, and we gots got there. Yeah, yeah, I think we all.

I think we're so different and we're the same, you know. I was think like, we're just We're the same as this mug, this table. We're just molecules. We're not different. When people were one planet, we've got to take care of it and take care of each other. I mean yeah, I always think like when everything's get too heavy, I'm just like, come on, we're out space like nothing matters and we've got to blow the place up. Wait a minute, wait,

whoa you know? Um, you know, I know you've been in a million things and you been doing you You're so vital to me. You're in your most vital, most exciting years. But it's going back to it. Because I watched the documentary Minority of One, which I really loved. I hope you're happy with it. I thought it was Spectacularum, thank thank you. I know why I said thank you, thank you. They were clipping for me just because I

asked a question. So well, Um, But when you did Airplane, it was kind of it was transformational for you because you had always been this kind of game facetic dude. Maybe protecting yourself in some way Airplane enabled me to make fun of my image and laugh about it, and it got people they stopped thinking about that as who I was. And it was right around the time we won a World CHAMPI lpionship. That helped. But it feels like it unlocked something in you where you were able

to not be how other people define you. Right, And I had like a certain fear of exposing myself at times, you know, just my inner thoughts and emotional feelings. Really, I was worried about sharing tho us and I've gotten over that. So we tend to have shame around our own feelings and we forget that's all we are, right, We're just people like everyone else. You know, That's how it works. I'm going to put my face in your hand, but I know that's I was just gonna end this,

but I just want to keep going. But I'll end it. But I just want to keep going, but I'll end it. How did you know what I really want to ask you about? Is um also your friendship with with Bruce Lee. You know, I just to so well, you know it should because when I met Bruce Um, I wasn't really uh you know, a hot shot professional athlete and he was working as uh cato in the Green Hornet and I just wanted to study Chinese martial arts. And a guy sent me over to him who knew him, and said, hey,

try and work this with Bruce. And the way he really showed me how powerful his art was when you know, he had me punching kick a bag. He get behind, put his weight behind it and said punch and kick it and I did. He said, hm, that was interesting. And then he had his wife come out and he told me, all right, you put your weight behind the bag, and I did, and she kicked the bag and my my body flew off a it and I I gotta

learn that. No, it has just learned how to control your inner forces in a way that uh enable you to deal with someone who might be trying something wrong. You know, if you learn how to move and uh say no, no, I do, but I do know it's it's it's harder to talk about it than it is to do it, you know, So if you if you have the time and inclination. I do you know what's really good, uh that you can do on your own? Taichi?

Great exercise? Here you go. I don't know, I'm just making it up from what I see people do in the po Keep doing that for a couple of months and you'll notice an increase in strength and balance and endurance and stuff. Yeah. I love Bruce Lee. You know what he reminds me of you with him is just the idea of be like water to the name of his movie. Yeah, to adjust to any circumstance, to sprout or your planted to. You know, when water is in a teacup. It's the shape of a teacup when water.

All that stuff and boost was all about. He was all about brotherhood, you know. And for a long time Chinese people didn't like him teaching people who weren't Chinese. But Bruce said, hey, you know, I've learned things from people who weren't Chinese that maybe they might have wanted to keep quiet, but they shared it. And that was his attitude about it, and it made it possible for the exchange to happen. I know, That's how it was with me and him, you know, Our friendship was based

on that, and it meant something. And those are mitzvahs. They're generous. There's a wonderful way to learn. Yes, absolutely, and that's how I think of you. You know, it's mister Rodgers and you or my tattoo. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show wherever you get your podcast. Watch The Daily Show weeknights and eleven tenth Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast