The Showtime Era captured not just five championship titles between 1980 and 1988, but also created a special place in people’s hearts. The effect of which is that fans still talk about the team even today. Two players who undoubtedly spearheaded the Lakers team were the Captain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and the superstar Magic Johnson. So, when the former celebrated a special day, the latter made sure to emphasize the impact!

The impact of the Lakers’ captain was not just limited to the NBA. Even before he joined UCLA, he was one of the most sought-after talents after the likes of Wilt Chamberlain. And the hype certainly continued as he delivered three back-to-back championships to the Bruins. The winning habit continued as he first played for the Bucks, where he won a championship, and then to the Lakers, where he won 5. And nobody knows it better than his fellow Lakers star, Magic Johnson – who swooped in with a career roundup to wish him a happy birthday!

“Happy birthday to the Captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! If you combine three high school, three college, and six NBA championships, he is the most decorated basketball player of all time. Nobody’s basketball career is even close to Kareem’s – spanning his high school, college and NBA years!“But now as the legend turns 78, Kareem Abdul Jabbar wants to focus not only on basketball accolades.

“As I reflect on turning 78 years old today, I am proud of how far our country has come toward social justice for all. Let’s make sure we keep moving forward, because no one is free until everyone is free.” The Lakers legend added to X, as he plans a special project on the UCLA grounds in less than a month. The project is his book and his social justice journey.

“I hope you’ll join me at UCLA on May 12th @ 6:30pm as I share my social justice journey from the 1960s through today while discussing my new book: We All Want to Change the World. Check out the link for more details and to RSVP.” Recently, he even celebrated one of his heroes who paved the way for social justice for athletes.

Despite personal issues, Kareem Abdul Jabbar shared a powerful message

“It’s great to be here on this day, especially because he was a hero of mine from Day 1 when I became aware of him.” In his speech, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar honored Jackie Robinson. The Lakers captain told the stories about becoming a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and then getting to meet Robinson for the first time in 1969. The MLB icon broke baseball’s color line in 1947. leaving a legacy now celebrated league-wide, with every MLB player wearing No. 42. That’s why on Jackie Robinson Day, the Lakers legend showed up.

He arrived at the Dodger Stadium in a wheelchair, which caused some concerns to the fans. But the 78-year-old did not pay heed to his condition and delivered an empowering speech. “Jack always had the idea that he was an equal human being to everybody else. I’m very proud of being able to emulate Jackie in the right way. You can do things the wrong way but Jackie showed us how to do it the right way, and I’m very thankful for that.”

Even in high school, he pushed to celebrate cultural heritage. He refused to join the 1968 Olympics due to the political climate after Dr. King’s assassination. Till today, he believes that players must keep using their voices because “we’ve got work to do”. And that’s why at the event next month at UCLA, as he wants to highlight more about his journey off the court. What a visionary!