In the fall of 1985, at the height of the Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics rivalry, two questions dominated the NBA:
Could any other team make a Finals run besides the Lakers and Celtics?
Would Kareem Abdul-Jabbar really retire after his contract expired at the end of the season?
He was 38 years old and heading into his 17th NBA season; at the time, that was longer than anyone else in league history had played.
He already had passed Wilt Chamberlain to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer in 1984 and was still at the top of his game, having been named the playoff MVP as the Lakers won the 1985 championship.