Presidential Medal of Freedom
I’ve met Kareem Abdul-Jabbar exactly once. At a function trumpeting the arrival in Manila of a selection of National Basketball Association greats late in the last decade, wound up standing next to him. It was awkward for me, to be sure, and not merely because he stood a full 17 inches taller. I had heard that he could be aloof and distant, but I found him to be cordial and conversant. I was nothing and nobody to the six-time Most Valuable Player and 19-time All- Star, and yet he proved to be generous with his thoughts. And though I was already a fan, I came away even more impressed.
Anyway, I bring up my brief brush with eminence to underscore how much Abdul-Jabbar deserves the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom he received yesterday. His myriad exploits on the court are committed to the memories of hoops habitues like me, but his achievements off it set him apart from other legends of the sport. I understand that he is who he is because of the sum of all his experiences, and that his status as a transcendent baller has afforded him the avenues to further the causes dearest to him. All the same, I posit that his commitment and willingness to expose himself to scrutiny even though he could have simply basked in the spoils of his trade, as countless other stars before and after him have done. He risked, and continues to lay on the line, his riches and reputation to speak up and speak out for the very civil liberties and social justice that allow us to enjoy James Naismith’s creation.
Indeed, Abdul-Jabbar’s accomplishments aren’t just beheld in his career numbers with the Panthers, Bruins, Bucks, and Lakers. They’re likewise contained in his strikingly informed tomes and articles, in his role as cultural ambassador for the US, in his continued desire to impart his knowledge of the game. As the voice-over during his formal reception of the highest distinction an American civilian can gain noted, he “leaves a towering legacy of compassion, faith, and service to others, a legacy based only not on the strength and grace of his athleticism, but on the sharpness of his mind and the size of his heart.”
There were 21 honorees all told yesterday, but, with due respect to others on the list of marquee names, I dare say Abdul-Jabbar brought the most luster to the occasion. And were I fortunate to see him again, I’d tell him that while most will remember the skyhook that no one else could touch, I’m only too glad to recall his contributions to society; at a time when the meaning of life and essence of humanity are distorted by expediency and conceit, he brings no small measure of comfort in showing that he’s one of us.