When Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War, he called on fellow African-American athletes to put their might behind him and fight against injustice. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was only 20 years old at the time, sat front and center with Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Ali himself that day.
Kareem’s urge to speak out didn’t end at the ‘Ali Summit’ in Cleveland. He remained outspoken on social issues for the next 50 years, which is why this is a uniquely enjoyable time for one of the NBA's greatest players of all time.
Athletes used their platforms in similar ways over the last five decades, but few periods have proved quite as transformative as the present.