Posts by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Just What Are Awards Shows Awarding?
As the Globes, Grammys and the trophy circuit at large take heat from the likes of Tom Cruise, The Weeknd and even NBC, The Hollywood Reporter’s columnist asks if structural change can rescue award shows or if the whole process is simply too corrupt to save. “The Golden Globes and Grammys have taken devastating public hits recently about their Read More »
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar Reflects on the Legacy of the Athlete-Activist (and His Own)
The NBA Hall of Famer and Hollywood Reporter columnist looks back at his career on the heels of the NBA’s creation of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which will honor one player annually. “I have often said that I will truly have achieved my full legacy when I have helped or inspired people Read More »
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Academy Awards & Representation: “This Year, the Oscars Got It Right”
For marginalized groups — in the industry and at home — recognition by the Academy is more than an ego boost or a glamorous diversion but signals to the world that “the lives they live, the struggles they face, are worthy of depicting.” The Oscar competition means different things to different people. For the average moviegoer, it’s Read More »
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar Joins MLB Now
The original story can be found on MLB.com here.
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: Why I Took Part in the Biden-Harris Inauguration
“I felt honored to be an active part of the relaunching of the ship of state with a real captain at the helm,” says the Hollywood Reporter columnist, who helped introduce the new leaders with words first recited by Abraham Lincoln. The last year has been like a horror movie in which a terrified family Read More »
Read MorePresidential Inaugural Committee Announces Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as Participant for the “Celebrating America” Primetime Special
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, José Andrés, Dolores Huerta, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Kim Ng to Join Program Special to Include Series Celebrating Americans Who Are Getting Us Through the Pandemic WASHINGTON — Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced additional participants and American heroes who will be highlighted during “Celebrating America,” the capstone prime-time program for the inauguration Read More »
Read MoreOp-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It’s great that athletes are speaking out. But some of them are spouting nonsense
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings is an amazing athlete. But her recent Instagram posts about being “brave” for not wearing a mask while shopping were ignorant and dangerous.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) After years of being told to “shut up and play,” athletes have finally fought their way out of the Read More »
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Real Superpower of Hollywood’s Black Genre Heroes
Illustration by Jaya Nicely Hollywood’s usual reaction to social protest is to produce a few sincere dramas about the African American experience, but “the real measure of a group’s acceptance by society is when its people are celebrated in popular culture.” When Black Lives Matter started rocking, Hollywood came a-knocking. Considered the largest protest in Read More »
Read MoreKareem Abdul-Jabbar on Chadwick Boseman’s Importance to the Black Community
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty ImagesChadwick Boseman The Hollywood Reporter columnist reflects on Boseman’s legacy: “We saw a whole history of our people’s struggles and triumphs shining in the bright eyes of one indomitable man.” Chadwick Boseman was not Black Panther. He was not Thurgood Marshall. He was not Jackie Robinson. He was not James Read More »
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