Pure integrity. Kareem should be a role model for any young athlete.

Coach Wooden and Kareem....Pure Glorious AMERICANS...!!!

A beautiful statement by one great man about another. It was so moving, and so from the heart, that I was almost in tears. Thank you for posting.

Watching UCLA basketball during that. Of time was a thing of beauty.

Man, this guy and Bill Walton are two very knowledgeable men!

It's sad that he believes Coach Wooden wouldn't be a successful college coach in today's world because he wanted his players to graduate. He believed academics came first. He was a person of high integrity.

When you hear Kareem talk, you think "God, this could really be a better world." You feel it is true, not an utopia. GOAT in every sense.

I had the very fortunate opportunity to be coached by one of John Wooden’s players & protégés who was a starter way back when at UCLA. I learned more about the fundamentals of basketball in my 3 years on varsity than anyone could learn in a lifetime. It wasn’t until years later that I realized how blessed I was & how that part of my education shaped me forever. I learned that work ethic and fundamentals are the ONLY keys to success in any life endeavor. I learned that the word “quit” was a 4 letter word to never, ever be allowed into your thinking.

Ok I am getting emotional. Two great men, Kareem and John. What a stark contrast to some recent leaders.

Wow! What a classy guy! Obviously Kareem really valued John Wooden as a friend and mentor. A great speech for sure, so impressive

This speech speaks of the character in both of you! Love you Kareem, thanks for the memories you’ve left me!

The story about Wooden not telling Kareem about the Indiana St. situation was cool. It's also a credit to Kareem for recognizing the integrity in that.

Class act...no mouth...no show boat...and a total success in life.

Kareem was a joy to watch growing up. I watched him from UCLA to the Bucks and then to the Lakers and was always in awe of his talent. That being said, I think I am more in awe of the person he is than he ever was as a basketball player.

We all need more John Woodens and Kareems

People forget what an amazing, super athletic 7'3" player Kareem was. And his intellect was bigger.

Incredibly humble man, considering his accomplishments. Wooden was the same way.

Kareem has class!

Speaks volumes about how good his was as a coach and a teacher to his players

Hi Kareem you are one of the greatest

John Wooden and Kareem are both huge hero's of mine. They both have character and class which is so needed in our world today. A highlight of my life would be to have dinner with Kareem and exchange bits of story and wisdom. I sit in gratitude that there are a few good men still in our world.

The greatest player I ever saw Kareem is pure class!

Always respected them both.

Kareem,you are one greatest player of all God bless you and your family

John Wooden and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, the epitome of class!

The greatest basketball player and coach.

Very thoughtful, insightful and touching comments by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Well said.

Kareem- one of my favorite human beings.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar Allah bless you for your kindness, ameen. From Pakistan/Danmark Peace🌸

What a wonderful tribute to Coach Wooden from perhaps the most respected person to ever play the game of basketball.

Class act who followed another class act. All respect.

Well said by Kareem.

I was taking a Greyhound bus from Manhattan to Toronto. We stopped in Harlem to pick up people. Looking out the window I saw the Power Memorial High School basketball team including Lew Alcindor, who was famous as a teenager in NYC. I knew him by sight. And he was big.

John Wooden was an exceptional man. Kareem was a good hoops player.

Brilliant! Inspiring! Human and Humbling! Thank you, KAJ, you are a man above and among men!

The world is blessed by these 2 humans

The greatest on and off the court

I was always struck by Kareem’s respect for Coach Woodin. For most of his live Kareem has been very vocal and critical of many. Rightfully so. But the integrity of one man, caused this giant of a man to pause and realize that all was not wrong with this world. This is a lesson we need to relearn today. Look to the individual and not the color of the skin when picking heroes.

John Wooden did a fine job mentoring this fella.

Always a fans of Kareem.

The Captain!!! The G.O.A.T.‼️ NOBODY BETTER‼️ He is a Gentleman & a Scholar, I was privileged to see him with Magic in Showtime of the 80's I'm sure John Wooden gave him some very good Wisdom, I'm also sure Kareem listened to his Coach, 2 very Big legends of basketball. ✌💙🙏

Back then freshman couldn't play on UCLA's varsity, who were national champions. So when the freshman team, led by Kareem (then Lew Alcindor) played the varsity in their annual campus showdown, Kareem's freshman team pounded the National Champs in a easy one sided victory. True story.

Kareem was an amazing basketball player. What is different about him is he may be a more amazing person. I have following his discerning expressions for years and though, I at times disagree, I'm always stretched by his thinking. To the degree Wooden and UCLA contributed to whom Abdul-Jabbar is today, both did their job well. As a midwestern conservative small town white guy who has nothing in common with Abdul-Jabbar, he has stretched my mind via his platform and I'm the better for it.

I pray that they all learn there lesson a man can speak for himself.

In the summer of my sophomore year '70 in a Southern California high school, I had the great privilege of attending John Wooden's invitational summer basketball camp with all of his assistants and the, then, state champion high school coach (Pacific Palisades High). Coach Wooden started the camp with a dissertation on how we should put on our socks and basketball shoes. He first ordered us to take off our shoes and socks. Then directed us about how to put them back on and why it was important to create the foundation of our feet to avoid blisters and injury. He related the need of the feet to offense and defense in the game of basketball. He obviously wanted to break down the egos of all of us so that we would be willing to accept the fundamentals that we would be introduced to over the next week. I am convinced this was the exact base of his championships, since all of his teams had to go through the same process.

this is a man who really was a student athlete unlike most in the revenue producing sports

As a high school football coach, I attend a weekly student/athlete luncheon put on by the SB Athletic Roundtable. Gary Cunningham attends the luncheons and has for years since is UCSB AD career. I one time pointed him out to my players and told them that he had been an assistant coach under Coach Wooden. They were unaware of this but I told them how Coach Cunningham had been with coach Wooden for 10 years and 8 of those years they won national Championships!! Plus he was the HC at UCLA for 2 years. They then realized College basketball HISTORY was sitting feet from them!!

Amazing speech thank u

Nice. Thanks for posting!

Beautifully spoken.

Magnificent ❤

John Wooden is the greatest college coach ever. Kareem is the greatest college player ever and part of the reason for that is Coach Wooden.

Great Talk given by a great ballplayer but and even better Person... I was blessed to meet Coach Wooden at Kutchers Basketball Camp in the early 70.s! We knew we were in the presence of GREATNESS!✨🌟💫😄

He was everything they said but never cited !!!! he was the FIRST 1st team, 3 time All America. The Indiana Rubber Man

I highly recommend both Kareem's and Bill Walton's books about Wooden.

Excellent Speech

I really enjoyed that. Thank you for posting.

I love this so much

Wow, John Wooden had a lot of tall friends.

total class act

I grew up in southern California when UCLA , year after year were national champs year after year . Back then the NCAA could not for the life of me quit screwing up the game , because of Lew Alcindor, the dunk was outlawed and I hated it . Then it was ok , then it wasn't, it was ridiculous . Anyway , I never knew what sort of relationship Coach Wooden and Lew had , but hearing it from "the horses mouth" so to speak is refreshing that there was a mutual love and respect between the two of them

Back in the 90's my brother got me his book, They Call me Coach, he had it sign by coach Wooden, by brother asked him, how can one be successful, he gave him a simple answer. Be true to yourself and your convictions. Have a good moral compass. treat people with respect. you'll have success in your life. when he told me that. I followed that while serving in the Air Force and my life with that simple answer. it's true, I did have a successful career in the Air Force and my life. John Wooden is a special person. Wish we had more like him. He's a great man.

Didn't care for Kareem too much when he was a player because I was a Wilt Chamberlain fan and later a Dave Cowen and Boston Celtic fan. But, Kareem was a fantastic player. More importantly, Kareem is as classy a guy as you will ever come across. Bottom line is that I deeply respect and admire Kareem as a player and as a man. Thank you Kareem for all the memories.

Kareem Abdul- Jabbar was one of the top players in the NBA and I would pick him to start my NBA team.

Nice speech

Kareem, an all-time great member of the basketball community - and that's quite apart from his phenomenal skill with a ball.

Very nice.

A very moving tribute!

Birds of a feather .... A GATHERING OF EAGLES THE GOAT COACH and THE GOAT BASKETBALL PLAYER

“The truest test of a person’s character is what he or she does when no one is watching.” - John Wooden aka ‘The Wizard of Westwood’ Xx

💜

IMO a better person than player and I consider him the be The Greatest Player of all time.

It's so interesting listening to Kareem talk about Coach through the years. This is part of the Democratic Process, this is something that Phenomenology teaches us. This is why Phenomenology is so important that "We, the People" really should work to understand. In many ways, Phenomenology is the Democratic Process.

Guess - he is the perfect pupil for the Coach!

Booby Knight said he had no respect for John Wooden. Now I know why. John Wooden had character and integrity. Something that Booby has no idea about.

What did Lew think about Edgar Lacy leaving the team in 1968 after the loss to Elvin Hayes and the Houston Cougars ? I know Edgar helped UCLA recruit Lew and I know they were friends.

Kareem is an excellent orator, and is viewed fas extremely intelligent man.

1:50 So Coach worked on a Saturday 😊👍..

I appreciate the name Lewis Alcindor.

We have clearance, Clarence.

Sam Gilbert, one man booster club, gave me a ton of cash back in the day to come to UCLA.

I am an Indiana State alum. The story is correct. Wooden was finally let go by Indiana State because they didn't like his "style " of basketball.

who could not "like" this recollection of a great man and great coach?!!? racists maybe .......

Kareem Abdul Jabber is The GOAT! Not cry baby Labron James, Michael Jordan (arguably the 2nd GOAT) or Kobe. Jabbar has scored most points in NBA history. That's what make him The Goat. Plain & Simple.

I am surprised that the NBA does not pay for NIL and being the "training league" for the NBA.

You need to change it back to what is was as a base.

A lot of a people in those days got all over this man when he converted to Islam and changed his anglo slave name to Abdul Kareem Jabbar. Cassius Clay, did the same as he was given the name Muhammad Ali, which inspired the young Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor. Especially when the white establishment came down hard on him for refusing to travel 10,000 miles to Vietnam and kill brown people for the American government and stripped him of his heavyweight title and his passport. Some things change, but somehow always remains the same.

He neverwanted to be married to the the ugly side of life my greedy family members all that hated me cause i was an adult at my age maturity as i grew older this man love his job keeping kids at risk out of trouble they didn't like me for the eay i was rasing my children.

ONE CAN SEE , THAT ALTHOUGH BILL WALTON HAS AN INCOMPARABLE UP AND POSITIVE WAY OF LIVING , LEW ALCINDER HAD A MORE FRIGHTENING LIFE WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF WORRIES .

A coach in today College basketball would have gotten fired before he started winning. There would have never been a John Wooden. I believe if memory services Wooden had a terrible losing record the first 3 years at UCLA.

Kareems grown inside... he had pain as a kid with anger and race... he saw uglyness regarding race...

Who the hell is doing dishes during the speech.

jf someone paid atheletes dont youi think wooden would have stopped it he had everything to lose nothing to gain they were already winning every year you dont know name names

Listening to this speech, you have understand why he never became an NBA coach. I mean is the stumbling of speech at the beginning neccessary? It's as if the stumbling is part of planned presentation.

They never talk about Sam Gilbert!!!

Coah Wooden would have fit in- perfectly in this atmosphere- he started paying players

My ex he couldn't steal this man money from the youth programs he set up for children i don't know what's wrong with terry and his music people he helped along the way why it was so much confusion and jealously.

Too bad Kareem was so aloof during his playing days. That hurt him once he retired. He wanted badly to coach in the NBA and nobody, even the Lakers, would take a second look at him.

50 year friendahip? That means they would of met in 1960.

Wooden had his business people buy athletes. That is why Knight did not like him. Players were paid for and that is illegal. Just look at how many of Wooden's players did not succeed in life, then compare to Knight. Knight was out of control but his players really did well later in all areas of life. I think Jabbar is an outstanding person with great inner peace, I admire him for that. But the coach like many coaches in that time bought players. The university did not put out the cash, it was the alumini and it was illegal.