Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 6 Best Morale-Boosting TV Dramas for People of Color

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In a world under siege, writes The Hollywood Reporter columnist and NBA great, “Good shows can boost a community’s morale and self-esteem — and make them feel connected to people like them and valued by people not like them.” We like to think adversity brings out the best in people, but usually it only brings Read More »

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Op-Ed: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge

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What was your first reaction when you saw the video of the white cop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while Floyd croaked, “I can’t breathe”? If you’re white, you probably muttered a horrified, “Oh, my God” while shaking your head at the cruel injustice. If you’re black, you probably leapt to your feet, cursed, maybe Read More »

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The Hollywood Reporter: Jeff Goldblum, Dr. Phil and the Clumsy Art of Celebrity Contrition

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After saying something dangerous or ignorant, public figures tend to double down or give snarky non-apologies. The Hollywood Reporter columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar offers them some advice. One of Jeff Goldblum’s most famous movie lines is from Jurassic Park, when, as Dr. Ian Malcolm, he admonishes: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, Read More »

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What Sports Can Teach Us about Dealing with Coronavirus

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Like most kids in America, I was taught that sports is more than just physical exercise, it’s also where we learn about fair play, self-discipline, how to be a good winner as well as a good loser, and how to bounce back from defeat and disappointment. Although religion, movies, TV, and novels passively teach us Read More »

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From the Basketball Court to the Hospital Room: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Donates 900 Safety Goggles to UCLA Health

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As UCLA Health rallies the community to step up to support doctors, nurses and staff on the front lines combatting COVID-19, NBA legend and UCLA Health ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar answered the call in a very personal and generous way, donating 900 pairs of safety goggles. Abdul-Jabbar wanted health care workers to have the same sense Read More »

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The Hollywood Reporter: Trump’s Coronavirus Reaction Reminds of ‘Hunters’ Nazi Conspiracy

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Christopher Saunders (‘Hunters’) The president’s blame-the-black-guy rhetoric and foot-dragging behavior have the same result as the Amazon show’s gleefully unrepentant Nazis’, and his racist failures and lack of leadership will be his legacy. In Amazon’s enthralling thriller series Hunters, leftover German Nazis from World War II are living the high life in America while planning a Read More »

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The Guardian: Why suspending the NBA season was a glorious act of patriotism

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The NBA has led by example and put public health above self-interest, which is more than the Trump administration can say Those too busy emptying the Costco shelves of hand sanitizer and toilet paper might have missed the news that the National Basketball Association has suspended the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other professional and Read More »

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The Hollywood Reporter: Kobe Bryant, Gayle King and Why Black Words Matter

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Lintao Zhang/Getty Images (Kobe Bryant) Threatening and demeaning King for examining the late basketball player’s complicated legacy, writes The Hollywood Reporter columnist, fosters a “climate of disrespect” that Bryant himself would have never wanted. When Kobe Bryant died, African Americans lost a beloved and influential member of their community and Americans of all colors lost a major role Read More »

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