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Artwork by Larry Rivers

"For a decade and a half, Abdul-Jabbar was so effortlessly talented and tall that nothing he did on a basketball court could really impress us. Then age made him seem human and every skyhook became a fresh wonder. He had defied the mechanism of buildup and teardown through which America feeds its celebrities. Warm ovations greeted him; like a plant too long deprived of light, Abdul-Jabbar relished this late-autumn sunshine."

Text by Gary Smith
Issue Date: December 23, 1985

Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led his team to the 1984-85 NBA Championship. He dominated the last five games of the six-game series against the Boston Celtics, averaging 25.7 points and nine rebounds per game. At age 38, Abdul-Jabbar won the playoff MVP award for the second time.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sports Illustrated Covers Gallery