The NBA Star who Abandoned A Franchise

Journey back to June 16, 1975, a pivotal moment in NBA history when the landscape of professional basketball dramatically shifted. This video explores the monumental trade that sent six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers, forever changing the trajectory of both franchises.
Delve into the complex web of personal and professional challenges that Abdul-Jabbar faced during his time in Milwaukee. From cultural isolation to growing frustrations with the team's direction, we uncover the lesser-known factors that pushed the NBA's most dominant big man to seek a change of scenery.
This mini documentary video examines:
- The cultural and social climate of 1970s Milwaukee and its effect on Abdul-Jabbar
- The immediate and long-term consequences for both teams
- How this trade reshaped the NBA's competitive landscape for years to come
- The legacy of Kareem's decision
Whether you're a die-hard NBA fan, a student of sports history, or simply intrigued by the human stories behind major athletic decisions, this video offers a fascinating look at a turning point in basketball history. Join us as we unravel the events leading up to this blockbuster trade and explore its lasting impact on the NBA.
Parts of this video were made with the help of AI tools, they did not modify the story in any way.

[@ignatiusjackson235]

People need to understand. NBC *postponed the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson* in order to make this announcement. Kareem was really something else, man.

[@ethanweeter2732]

To postpone Carson in the mid to late 70s would have been a huge deal.

[@cubbdacrossfacecrippler]

We understand just fine. We've had LeBron with the decision, Kobe wanting out of LA, MJ retirement mid prime. So the magnitude of the moment is understood.

[@orthotech9758]

​@@cubbdacrossfacecripplerdon't forget Magic's announcement.

[@kybelian]

The NBA never wanted Kareem in Milwaukee. It just could not admit it. Same with Lebron in Cleveland hence The Decision in prime time. So this worked out that the Bucks got a championship and the NBA got its best player in one of its big markets. It also knew how to put most of the blame on the player in what was a bigger corporate-media business decision

[@petergreen5337]

❤Thank you for your point

[@xanderc1225]

As a lifelong bucks fan I understand why he left. I live in Wisconsin and know it’s not LA or New York but he had reasons that couldn’t be fulfilled here at the time. It’s sad but there wasn’t many other cultures here besides native Americans, white polish/ Germans and the small black communities that existed. It’s much different now than it was back then. And now fully understanding what happened I don’t blame him for leaving and I’m glad he helped us win a chip and franchise history. Chips here matter way more than building super teams in big markets!!!

[@Supyloco]

I mean, I don't know about the Knicks, but for the Lakers, the stakes are about chasing our eternal rival.

[@ebonyknight5]

Exactly

[@LordPorter06]

Born and raised in Milwaukee and it’s trash.

[@supermoneyball420]

@@LordPorter06 It’s funny when ppl talk about Giannis being loyal as a difference between him and Kareem with the Bucks or like Bron and KD leaving teams now, like he grew up in Greece and he’s from Nigeria idk if I became like a superstar in Barvaria or something I would probably love it but I get it when ppl wanna leave 💀💀

[@supermoneyball420]

@@LordPorter06 Maybe not KD I guess that’s kinda different bc he also left the bay but Bron didn’t even get to miss a single Ohio winter before he left for Miami he’s not even from Cleveland that’s like u grew up in Racine and they just made u the entire economy of Milwaukee one day always been crazy to me 😭

[@thecellulontriptometer4166]

As a life long Bucks fan and longtime Wisconsin resident, I don't begrudge Kareem a bit for requesting a trade. He brought a championship to the Bucks, and his reasoning for wanting a trade makes sense even today. I really appreciate his contribution to Buck's history.

[@The_Bigot]

Yeah I guess that’s more important than honoring a contract you willingly signed.

[@Cantfakethefunkk]

@@The_Bigotyou do realize that free agency wouldn’t become a thing for over a decade after this right?

[@ericbrower6769]

@@The_Bigot NBA free agency didn't exist until 1988. He couldn't choose which team to sign with.

[@Amick44]

And it was only 1 time. Harden and Durant hop teams like journeymen who are just trying to keep a job. LeBron isn't that much better.

[@erics9754]

Can not criticize Kareem here many fanboys lol. I never liked him I liked Wilt and always wished Wilt would kick his bratty ass.@@The_Bigot

[@kevingreen2400]

Kareem stated in his 2nd memoir that he would often drive some 90 miles from Milwaukee to Chicago to hang with friends and listen to jazz. This is a good perspective on the trade, well done

[@JamusChristus]

He could've easily lived in Waukegan and commuted.

[@eliwallace3825]

@@JamusChristussometimes you just wanna be somewhere you know you're accepted

[@JamusChristus]

@@eliwallace3825 bingo

[@carlfrye1566]

1970's Milwaukee obviously was not the cosmopolitan/big city like Chicago so it isn't unusual to hear he went there for friends and clubs/music.

[@carlfrye1566]

​@@eliwallace3825: Milwaukee wasn't a haven for jazz and night clubs, it was natural to seek out other places to find that. Like a country boy playing for the Bulls going to a rural club for country music.

[@don8244]

As a New Yorker who had Puerto Rican family only in NY and NJ, Kareem's concerns are relatable. When I moved to Maryland it was a culture shock. Everything closes so early, there's more hostility towards Latinos, and its main city in Baltimore is a nightmare of crime in comparison to even the Bronx.

[@frank-ko6de]

multiply that hostility by 10X when it came to Black citizens in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, in general. Especially by the cops. Theres a reason why no Black free agent ever goes to Milwaukee, theyre usually drafted and then, they leave as free agents.

[@big8dog887]

Correction: Magic Johnson was the Finals MVP in 1980 (though many feel Kareem should have been). Kareem did win a second Finals MVP with the Lakers, but it was in 1985 against the Celtics.

[@justinmunson1412]

Can’t believe that error

[@w.davidholland7228]

Kareem didn't play, the Lakers didn't believe they could win. Everyone except Magic. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was out, for a game I think, Magic said we're still going to win, without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Is Lakers teammates looked at him crazy, because he was a rookie. he played center in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and did exactly what he said they would. The Lakers won without KAJ and a rookie lead his team to the first five NBA championships.

[@w.davidholland7228]

Magic deserved it as a rookie playing CENTER, Losing his best teammate.

[@tomfassel6563]

@@w.davidholland7228 that was for one game they didn’t have Kareem. The other 3 wins Kareem definitely played and averaged 33 points per game that series

[@harmonicdissent]

Thank you. I was about to say the same.

[@goofydog2]

Reading his book, Kareem said that when he went back to play against Milwaukee, after being in LA for years, he said he suddenly 'realized how much he loved and missed the place and especially the people.'

[@brianarbenz1329]

Kareem valued aesthetics, not just salary, in ways that almost no other NBA star did. That’s admirable. I always wished he could have been drafted by the Bulls, so that he could have played in a city obviously more suited to his eclectic ways, yet still in the Great Lakes region.

[@nicholashazlett4369]

A kick in the pants being a Bùcks fan/madisonian. The man knew what he wanted. Had the stones to go get it. Cant argue with this. Its admirable. We should all be so bold. This should apply even if your the best basketball player in the world.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

Kareem, as a Buck, was arguably the MVP of all time (he declined in his Laker years). He gave everything he had to the franchise. But he's a painfully shy person who has a hard time making friends. Thus he was extremely lonely in a city that didn't have a lot of citizens who shared his eclectic interests. So he gave the team six phenomenal seasons and then felt it fair to ask them to cut him loose. Fair deal.

[@lwmson]

I can agree with all you said except the part about him "declining" as a Laker. Don't be ridiculous. As a Laker he was still an all-star, won NBA MVP three times, and five NBA titles.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

@@lwmson I'm just going by the statistics, not the team and media honors you cite. So your claim is he was just as good when he was in his late 30s as when he was 25? Who's being "ridiculous" now my friend?

[@frank-ko6de]

you also forgot to hear the quiet part out loud, which is Milwaukee was a very racist city to its Black citizens, He was still a private person in Los Angeles or New York City, But, stay clueless and deluded.

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@bucksdiaryfanhe did carried the lakers in the 80s because magic wouldn’t win anything without his presence. His sky hook shot was no doubt indefensible and how his special offense carried the lakers to a dynasty. He already won six rings by 1988 and he never thought he would be the GOAT (before MJ).

[@Elguapodelfuego]

Wilt was better

[@scotthovland7380]

I was 13 and loved him and couldn't understand why he didn't like us. Broke my heart

[@hench1985]

A lot of it had to with the Big O Oscar Robertson retiring. He spoke with Oscar after the Bucks won the title again in 2021 and they both loved how the Bucks won it again

[@erics9754]

He did not like you because he is a racist.

[@dispassionateobserver]

Some really good clips of a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in this video. Stuff that I haven't seen before, and I've watched a lot of video of Kareem.

[@shawngraham9115]

Kareem was the MVP of the 1980 final through the first 5 games but he was injured during the 6th game and Magic won the MVP for that finals. Kareem did get his 2nd finals MVP in 1985 in the win over Boston, the first time the Lakers would beat Boston in the finals after losing the previous 8 against Boston. Bill Russell won 7 of his 11 titles vs the Lakers.

[@necrophagiakc]

You're beating around the bush Kareem had the same problem black players had in Green Bay playing for the Packers then they felt alone there wasn't enough other Black people around to make them feel comfortable players they always felt like they were on display in public walking around in Green Bay John Jefferson, James Lofton and others would say they had to drive an hour or more just to get a haircut there wasn't any black barbershops in Green Bay or surrounding areas..

[@bruceluther5738]

Yet Kareem married a white chick stop

[@taytay8283]

@@bruceluther5738 naw he married a black lady Janice Brown in 1971 divorced in 78…. What are you talking about

[@bruceluther5738]

@@taytay8283 then he married a white lady. My point is as a Muslim he must recognize Allahs revelation that their is only one race human and we have different hues of skin not separate races

[@vincenthammons-kd9du]

the double standards in your statement are unreal now imagine a white man saying that about black people.

[@mcNuggetMuncher]

Don't ever let a white guy cut your hair they dont know nothing about them waves

[@michaelmccormack494]

Lew/Kareem gave em six. In retrospect, that's a lot! He also gave them his best, at his absolute prime, in the '74 Finals... His play in those playoffs went way beyond. His game six 15-foot baseline hook in Boston is one of the NBA's shot of shots, on the order of Jerry West's 1970 Finals 65-foot bomb. I rooted hard for the Bucks because of Lew/Kareem and The Big O.

[@Psyfi85]

Agreed, he knew who he was, throughly. And those WI winters probably weren’t missed much, college ball there, familiarity.

[@manny4552]

Yeah that 1974 team of Kareem Oscar and Dandridge was really great but Oscar was padt his prime and even if Kareem was the world's best player.. the legend 34 year old John havlicek was still in his prime

[@area51ville]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...the original diva

[@femgoo]

Aka Roger Murdock, Airline pilot!! 😂😂

[@area51ville]

@@femgoo don’t get the reference

[@femgoo]

he acted in the movie Airplane (1980) where he played the co-pilot. !

[@RK-um9tu]

translation - I am a white male.

[@area51ville]

@@RK-um9tu translation hebrew israelite or whatever purple,green,orange,blue,and yellow out fit you got on

[@direkramseychikboy9102]

Milwaukee waited for Giannis for another Title

[@dontheavatar]

Being patient vs the lakers being greedy.

[@G-TV_TheOneManArmy]

17 vs 2 I'm sorry but yeah

[@bruceluther5738]

The basketball gods gifted Milwaukee with Giannis

[@xanderc1225]

@@G-TV_TheOneManArmy 2 that hold lots of weight compared to always having superteams built from money and location

[@G-TV_TheOneManArmy]

@@xanderc1225 I can give you a good 9 rings where the right teams won 80s showtime lakers won and Shaq and Kobe Lakers won 1 ring (I assume it's lebron James) doesn''t count because he's synonymous with superteams but I still don't count the 2020 Lakers a super team but that's me

[@davefleming1117]

He was simply the best center i ever saw play. My dad said Wilt. But i was huge Celtics fan but Kareem was always my favorite individual player.. the single most beautiful unstoppable shot of all time. That great sky hook. He could rebound and play defense as well as a pretty damn good free throw shooter too! Miss you Kareem

[@Elguapodelfuego]

Wilt blocked that sky hook multiple times in a game

[@_Game0ver_]

@@Elguapodelfuego outside of those instances, over the span of his entire career, it was an unstoppable shot. Wilt was also a freak of nature, let's not forget.

[@brianarbenz1329]

@davefleming Be careful with using “my Dad said.” That launches endless Airplane! vibes. (A movie which also had many Milwaukee-LA ties.)

[@davefleming1117]

LMMFAO

[@thekububeach]

@@Elguapodelfuego Only 2 times

[@jameswinston8533]

Milwaukee is still one of the most segregated city in America, so just imagine was it was like in the 60's 70's It wasn't about the team why he left, it was the city and state

[@KnightBoat]

The segregation index measures the entire metro, not just the city proper. A lot of Milwaukee's older neighborhoods developed along ethnic lines, but in over 20 years of living there I can't say I ever had to look very hard to find a mixed crowd. However, the suburban counties are very white, very geriatric, and tend to be very racist.

[@DrDoom-wo8hb]

@@KnightBoat Nice spin on manufactured (read: REDLINING) racial segregation from the racist white trash that controlled and (continues to control) Milwaukee, but go ahead.

[@lonniewilson9279]

This article worked very hard to stay clear of the hard truth even avoiding any reference to his race and the Black culture.. His requesting a trade had everything to do with Milwaukee being a overwhelmingly white city figuratively and culturally. Kareem was a sophisticated Black Muslim male who needed to be amongst more people like him.

[@THE_HMRC]

Milwaukee was just.....too white...for Kareem....Him saying that he did not fit in culturally was a nice way of saying this.

[@willn8664]

Who came back to this video after Giannis possibly leaving?

[@bballanalytics1552]

awesome channel!!! your content is very high-quality, look forward to more

[@KOGOSTOMUS]

Oh yeah this is going places

[@Conquistador76]

I loved all the old footage you managed to get for this, really great video

[@DRUtastic]

Not even considered a top 3 laker to most fans. Shows how much the city appreciated his greatness

[@marcbasil]

Why would he be considered a top 3 laker..? He was a Buck & is known as a Buck. That’s where he played best

[@JoeAltDelete]

Kareem is absolutely a top 3 Laker of all time, top 5 at a minimum

[@HigherThinking]

Your ability to get an hour worth of info into 8 min is to be commended 👏

[@ebonyknight5]

Can’t blame him for wanting to work and live in a place that he was more comfortable!!!!

[@Amick44]

And he didn't pull the shenanigans that a lot of guys do. Like a Harden, for instance. Or Kyrie. He didn't fake injuries or whine and sit out for no reason.

[@Tjthehbk]

Im looking forward to the next video you do, you have a good commentator's voice lol Keep it up !!!!!

[@Rysofly]

Milwaukee was and is RACIST. Heck they recently beat up a Bucks player a few years back if y'all can recall. And simply because he was parked in a wrong spot returning a Redbox movie at Walgreens. They profiled and when they found out he was a bucks player it was an oops. Then they did pay him quietly.

[@llll-is6em]

USA was and is racist

[@kevinlawrence8580]

Kareem is my fellow jazzhead!

[@nosajdabeno]

Kareem and the Lakers beating The Celtics in the finals were my introduction into basketball. My Dad would watch the games and of course I would join him, asking questions when something happened that I didn’t understand. I remember my Dad telling me to pay attention to Kareem and his sky hook. For its time it was a thing of beauty! I really am glad I got to watch the Showtime Lakers, then Michael and Da Bulls (the only time I “cheated” on The Lakers ha ha!), and of course Kobe. For me, today’s game just isn’t the same. I still watch, don’t get me wrong, but it just doesn’t have the same vibe as it used to for whatever reason. Again, that’s just ME and MY OPINION! I don’t expect anybody to agree. If you do, cool. If not, I’m actually glad you either just started watching like I did all those years ago, or you still love the game as it’s played today!

[@user-sr1ho2hx5h]

FACTS

[@bpsactclass2218]

You made a mistake. Magic was the 1980 NBA Finals MVP, not Kareem. Kareem was finals MVP in 1971 and 1985. That is actually very impressive - 14 year gap! I really enjoyed the video.

[@flynt1977]

True to his faith. Can't hold that against anyone.

[@jaylenbarnes2.079]

Great Video

[@ronaldoarcher4522]

What do you call it when a team trades or cuts a player. Do we say the team abandoned a player.

[@joescorner8650]

New favourite channel

[@Rinaldiii]

Nice video to help understand him

[@DeeNice681]

Props to Kareem for doing those. I like the Bucks but understand. If a team can’t win and your doing all you can then go. I still wish Don Nelson would have said ‘yes’ to that Marques Johnson-Jamaal Wilkes trade. Marques would be in the hall!

[@marcbasil]

…? They won a ring lol

[@Wallyworld30]

Bucks ended up getting Brian Winters who became a 2x Allstar with Bucks and Junior Bridgeman great player played 10 years for Bucks and traded other assets from this trade for 2 first round picks. Bucks were an amazing squad in 80's never had a single losing season that decade. I grew up in the 80's and felt betrayed I never got to see Kareem in a Bucks uniform. Thank the good lord Giannis is the superstar the city loves that the superstar loves back.

[@DrDoom-wo8hb]

Had an amazing squad that didn't win SHAT minus Kareem, come on man!! LOL

[@clarkysparky]

keep posting i loved this video!!

[@wellingtonmiddleton3739]

Not one of the greatest but The Greatest. Check out this man's resume from high school, through college and the N B A. No other player can match it or even come close. Yes, Bron, M J and others were and are great but Kareem is the greatest of them all - A basketball fan, not a personality fan, from the beautiful, tranquil Islands of The Bahamas 🏝️🌅🏖️🇧🇸. Peace, love, life and blessings ❤️🙏

[@philipbrown9185]

To think that Kareem requested to be traded to either the Lakers or the Knicks is mind boggling. Older Knicks fans can only imagine how dominant the Knicks could have been with Kareem, at his peak, in their lineup.

[@guitary]

As a Bad Boys Pistons fan who hated seeing the phantom foul that robbed a championship, i disliked the manhandling of an old man Kareem on his retirement tour even more. Not that he didn’t bang down low with the best of em, but having to deal with Mahorn pulling the chair or Laimbeer plain stiff as a board straight as an arrow arms and hand in perfect position to defend his hookshot, but having to deal with hardcore boxing out and no cheap layups without being jacked to pieces…. Okay, I didn’t really hate it. I wish he retired earlier.

[@FabrizzioJoaquinMonsalveSalced]

bro they robbed the pistons, the pistons should have 5 titles and be the the second dynasty after the celtics

[@ednunez7682]

@@FabrizzioJoaquinMonsalveSalced oh bullshit. They lost. Deal with it!

[@Amick44]

​@@FabrizzioJoaquinMonsalveSalced3. 3 titles.

[@leroystover1062]

That was a bad call on Laimbeer😢

[@forestgump8357]

They literally interrupted network television to announce this trade.

[@lutherwalker7639]

May i have some more videos sir...💯👌🙏

[@JohnJohnson-he1yv]

Mr Abdul Jabbar has been a man of integrity from the beginning. One of a kind!

[@trevinschaerr3732]

So much integrity that he looks down on half the population because they politically supported someone or someones he doesn’t like. He’s an arrogant ass and only deserves praise for his on-the-court actions and noting else.

[@ryansnustad9133]

Lew Alcindor is a legend by any metric and whatever you choose to call him. A very young Kevin Garnett played him in a movie against Earl 'the goat' Manigault. Kareem shattered all records, except for rebounds. Still a top 5 player. Of All Time.

[@erics9754]

NO he played Wilt lmao.

[@eksit101]

Dude, the NBA was almost dead at that time. Games were aired on delay. Grive me a break.

[@TheOGHoopByTheBook]

Your Channel is gonna boom, glad I found it early. I’m officially one of the first 1k subs

[@camoss3724]

Had the Bucks let Kareem play out his contract, he would have been a free agent but subject to compensation as per the rules of the time. The Bucks did well to trade him when they did and got a much better return than had they waited until he hit free agency. I remember the Knicks were one of the teams frequently mentioned as a potential landing spot (Kareem was from New York), but they had very little to offer in terms of the young talent the Bucks were seeking. The Lakers actually had players who could help Milwaukee's team.

[@user-sr1ho2hx5h]

Typical Knicks, unable to land the big one, with the exception of 33 Patrick Ewing. Other than that our GMs have been terrible for most of our relevancy. I remember we gave u an entire team for Melo and then couldn't achieve more past that since so much already went into merely getting him. Ugh.....We got 2 chips in the 70's but if we would've got Kareem.... 4 to 5 at LEAST...

[@camoss3724]

@@user-sr1ho2hx5h Had the Knicks landed Kareem back then, they probably would have resembled a lot of those early Laker teams Kareem played on. That is, one megastar and a bunch of guys who'd have a hard time getting a pickup game after the season. Remember the 1977 Western finals? The Blazers dominated the Lakers at every position but center. That trade left the Lakers very thin at a number of positions, something that didn't begin to turn until the 1977 draft when the Lakers took Norm Nixon with their first-round pick, and then of course, Magic Johnson in 1979.

[@patmcstuff671]

A great Man! An original

[@michaelscalzo6716]

Gonna be a great channel

[@STONESGAM]

I am from Milwaukee and don't blame him for leaving. However, I do kind of blame the Bucks for bringing him back to Milwaukee a few years ago for events and to help promote the team. It's like dude you didn't like it here and couldn't wait to be traded don't act like you have so much love for the city now. It was so phony.

[@bronzremix]

Interesting that at the end of it all it was Junior Bridgeman whose the richest of all these men... probably richer then them all combined.

[@lucasjleandro]

The Big Guy won a title and leaves. At least he got a title. Kareem with the Bucks is like Napoleon on Italy if the stories ends there will already be a great history

[@kincamell]

Heavy. New York Knicks missed out when they passed on a trade for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Peace to Gil Scott

[@freddyes2242]

Kareem, wilt and shaq had a similar story of leaving a weaker market and going to a super market in Los Angeles and getting a super team or powerful duo. Shaq got Kobe and glen rice, kareem got magic and worthy, wilt got west and Baylor but Baylor fell apart: I think you can add Dwight, Anthony Davis but Dwight failed with Kobe and Davis and lebron won a ring. These super teams and leaving franchises isn’t new.

[@Youralwayswhining4367]

Kareem had a very huge ego to fill back then

[@ihytj6251]

@@Youralwayswhining4367 that ego was deserved. He earned that right

[@MrPabloJoven]

Magic didn't arrive in LA until 79 and Worthy was in 82. Kareem didn't leave to create a super team. The Laker team he went to had a 30-52 record prior to his arrival. You can disparage him leaving Milwaukee but it's false to accuse him of leaving to create a super team or team up with some other super player already on the Lakers.

[@melvynsngltn27]

Glen Rice wasn't there until 1999 Kobe was a rookie bench player

[@atribecalledlen3567]

@@melvynsngltn27 facts he reached with rice

[@unluckydreamer]

Oh yeah can't wait for more videos

[@ericgarringer6911]

Honestly who doesn't want out of Wisconsin in the winter lol

[@TraumaGarden]

Great vid!

[@Supyloco]

I wanna see a video on how the Lakers landed Mikan, because the story itself is fucking wild.

[@hedonepicurea4327]

I acknowledge you.

[@ExhaustedElox]

Took us 50 years to get another one, but I don't begrudge Kareem for leaving. He had to do right by himself and Milwaukee wasn't right for him at the time.

[@jackson4274]

As a Wisconsinite I think we failed Kareem from an off-the-court perspective. There was not a lot of tolerance for Muslims in the 1970s unfortunately.

[@bigpasty1582]

I hope the bucks don't lose Giannis in a similar way. Media and fans in Wisconsin have a tendency to annoy our stars

[@marcbasil]

…?

[@edwardmcduffie2518]

Someone please tell me how the Knicks did not land the hometown hero???

[@mushy18100]

When Kareem on the thumbnail looks like Danny Green 🤣

[@margarinetaintedgreen8140]

By a huge margin, MIL was the most successful franchise ‘70-‘74. 5 yrs at 74%. 4 Conference Finals. 2 Finals. 78-18 Championship season. “Abandoned a franchise.” Terrible title.

[@TheCman183]

But he did abandon them. Even after they tried every possible avenue to give him what he wanted.

[@margarinetaintedgreen8140]

@@TheCman183 Kareem wanted to live somewhere else. 6 years. See above levels of success. That franchise largely owed their huge success to one man: Cap. Word-choice-wise, “abandon” is unfair.

[@jessesmith-garcia5313]

That makes sense, Totally understand that, Kareem leaving Milwaukee.

[@mazzb305]

Weird seeing young Marv Albert 😂😂😂

[@InAntWeTrust]

Facts lol

[@youtuber3328]

to be COMPLETELY honest i did do and/or PROBABLY will SOMEWHAT like the bucks because i did do and/or PROBABLY will really LOVE legend kareem abdul-jabbar

[@Revolver1701]

The interrupted Carson to announce the trade to the Lakers. Wow.

[@v.e.7159]

Lew Alcindor was a Milwaukee Buck. Kareem Abdul Jabar was a Laker.

[@RK-um9tu]

He changed his name in LA because Milwaukee would have bomb his house...

[@malz92]

Imagine living in Wisconsin as a Muslim in 1974! Poor guy

[@OrionOodama]

The former Lew Alcindor is already a proven commodity entering the NBA, a generational talent. And inasmuch this feature gives a clear reason why he left the Bucks, there are eventual talents who stayed amidst the city's atmosphere and culture. And for this, I appreciate Michael Jordan. Perhaps he and Chicago complemented each other at the right time and situation. MJ turned a franchise into a viable and respectable commodity and still is quarter a century after playing his final game. MJ was intensely loyal, while the Bulls were so foolish and full of themselves they can redo the glorious era shortly after "The Last Dance." And there's Tim Duncan. Since his close signing with Orlando (yeah, another what if for the Magic), TD stayed there for good and still his home upon retirement. Kudos for the Bucks owners and management for keeping the team in Milwaukee. They lost Kareem in 1975. 23 years later, they traded Dirk Nowitzki on draft night (another what if, the second time). They smarten a bit by keeping Giannis.

[@jemaicorpuz4596]

Kareem famous is Los Angeles Lakers than Milwaukee I was inspire on his story but I respect his decision moving in Los Angeles or New York were his comfable.

[@macjerryTv]

No not true. He's more of new yorker.

[@martinjkrumm8764]

The Lakers have a long list of present and future Hall of Famers they didn't draft: Wilt Chamberlain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shaquille O'Neal Steve Nash Kobe Bryant (traded from Charlotte) LeBron James Carmelo Anthony Anthony Davis Dwight Howard Karl Malone Gary Payton The Suns also have an extensive list of this nature: Dennis Johnson Charles Barkley Shaquille O'Neal Chris Paul Grant Hill Jason Kidd I apologize for any I've left out, but here's my point: What is it about these two markets that's so attractive to some of the best players of all time? I am just a little surprised there's no videos like that here, at least that I can find. The fact that the Lakers have 17 titles while the Suns have none is secondary as far as I can tell. I'm not a diehard fan of either of these teams btw.

[@pookyman12]

*17 Titles (+30 Year LA Lakers Fan)

[@FabrizzioJoaquinMonsalveSalced]

Jerry West, Baylor

[@martinjkrumm8764]

@@FabrizzioJoaquinMonsalveSalced I don't think you read my comment close enough. The Lakers did draft those guys in Minneapolis. I made a list of those guys they DIDN'T draft.

[@tomfassel6563]

@@martinjkrumm8764 well most of those guys you names won’t be put in the HOF as Lakers but for other teams. They just happened to play for the Lakers at one point trying to win a ring

[@patfinch9907]

The LA Lakers are basically the New York Yankees of Basketball 🏀. Every NBA Player or Future player all want to be a Laker just like Every Baseball player wants to be a Yankee at some point in their career. That and the LA Lakers are one of the most Valuable Sports Teams in North America alongside the Dallas Cowboys 🏈, New York Yankees ⚾️, Toronto Mable Leafs 🏒, New York City FC & LA Galaxy ⚽️. By playing as a Laker you are also playing in the footsteps of some of the NBA’s Greats, LeBron James, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gary Payton, Dwight Howard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson etc, same is true with Being in the New York Yankees as you are in the footsteps of MLB greats like Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Mariano Rivera, Reggie Jackson etc.

[@randyryry6656]

More plz

[@Amick44]

Maybe one day some people will write how Durant, Kyrie, Harden abandoned multiple franchises. LeBron, too.

[@williamellis9851]

bs KAREEM WAS GREAT BUT WILT HANDLED HIM HIS FIRST YEAR AFTER THAT NO ONE COULD

[@joseyeastwood]

Kareem never wanted to play for Milwaukie he hated the weather and playing in the city he was from New York and played in Los Angeles at UCLA and the main reason was he was a Muslim in a city where their weren't many.

[@Mysterybabylon696]

It's cool that back in the day they let you wear jewelry during the game.

[@JICM25]

What is that jazz song ?

[@randyanderson4360]

Young Kareem looks like Gianni's A the other M Bucks superstar 🤯🤯

[@zyxwut321]

Wow, look at young Marv Albert? Who knew THAT guy once existed? Dude's as old as Methuselah.

[@Jiltedin2007]

Excuse me, but the NBA made history in 1980 when A Rookie named Magic Johnson won the NBA Playoff MVP Award.

[@kingktakeiarthurbrown1226]

He didn't leave the Bucks. They left him when they forced Oscar Robertson to retire in 1974.

[@yell0wberry]

Don’t worry folks, Giannis won’t be too far away from doing the same exact thing soon This trade didn’t stop there, many many years later, Dirk Nowitzki was traded from Milwaukee to Dallas for the rights to some guy name tractor trailer

[@xanderc1225]

The dirk trade was stupid but Giannis doesn’t want to leave. It’s not about clout chasing for him. It’s the family oriented organization that is the bucks

[@marcbasil]

Lol giannis? Why would he leave? To go where?

[@DrDoom-wo8hb]

@@xanderc1225 Cocaine is a helluva drug.

[@ronaldoarcher4522]

So when a team cuts a player, do we say that team abandoned the player

[@jyantkiller2732]

Thank You! They need to quit with that double standard and slick terminology mess when it comes to trades and cuts.

[@JohnTortorelli]

the edits tough!

[@Jiltedin2007]

The Bucks went after the Knicks first offering Kareem. Why would the Knicks say no to a potential superstar is still beyond me. So when the Bucks came to Los Angeles offering Kareem, Jack Kent Cooke jumped at the chance offering Brian Winters and numerous draft picks the Bucks used to get Marques Johnson and Junior Bridgeman. Before Magic Johnson came to town, Kareem was the glue that kept the Lakers going.

[@toddsands6000]

The Knicks had a chance to secure Julius "Dr. J" Erving" too before the Philadelphia 76ers obtained him. Other than the NY Knicks glory years from the early 1970's, NY Knicks management has not been as successful on obtaining top level players.

[@jonisafreak3]

He hated the east coast he left the east and literally never came back. Never showed New York no love where he was born and raised. Hell of a basketball player but never likes how he abandoned the east like that.

[@jamessanders6788]

How did he abandon the East? The man lived his adult life out.

[@Righteousone18]

He played in LA for so long it only makes sense to buy a house and live there. I read he’s in Harlem from time to time for speaking engagements

[@sptx9670]

The way he was treated by the league and Wisconsin he should have left

[@malz92]

Was that supposed to be AI Kareem at @5:56? 😂

[@Franz19970]

Besides L.A where he went to college and New York where he grew up, he shoukd have came here to the Baltimore/Washington area

[@ethanweeter2732]

Milwaukee and Wisconsin are very Catholic. I can imagine how he might have felt in Milwaukee as a Muslim.

[@its420somewhererightnow]

Giannis was cloned from KAJ's DNA!💯💯💯

[@markbantz9699]

Can’t blame him for wanting to get out of Wisconsin. Look at the place now. Was always like that!

[@xanderc1225]

I’m from Wisconsin, yes culturally it was never a comfortable place for non white german Americans but now it’s become a very diverse place. Wisconsin was never a bad place just everyone moved to the coasts and the Midwest changed a lot

[@trevinschaerr3732]

@xanderc1225 And after that diversification (which is mainly in Milwaukee not the state at-large) you got higher crime and one of the worst riots of 2020. You can never please Blacks or any other non-White group, stop f***ing over your own just appease those who will always HATE YOU. And let’s not act like White players aren’t uncomfortable when they’re in Baltimore, Philly or anywhere in California (particularly nowadays).

[@marcbasil]

@@xanderc1225lol Wisconsin is heII.

[@luisvaldes1568]

The Fonze and Richie and Laverne and Shirley loved Milwaukee.