Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks hip and now faces three months of recovery after surgery

In Los Angeles this weekend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fell during a concert and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital. It was later reported that the NBA legend had broken his hip and underwent surgery on Sunday “with no complications,” according to his business partner Deborah Morales. 

“He will be in recovery for the next three months,” she then wrote through a text message. The 76-year-old was attended by the paramedics at the concert venue, and then treated at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The iconic big man is not only known for winning five NBA championships with the Lakers during their “Showtime” era in the 1980s, he also set many scoring records in the league throughout his 20-year career.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been hospitalized after falling at concert and suffering a broken hip, per @TMZ_Sports pic.twitter.com/UwTuL8rsWV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 16, 2023

Magic Johnson was one of the first to wish him the best over the weekend. “I’m wishing my Showtime teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a speedy recovery after falling and breaking his hip! Praying for the Captain!” he wrote on social media.

The six-time MVP player was the league’s all-time scoring leader until February of this year, when LeBron James surpassed him. The legendary big man owned the record for 39-long years.

“You may have heard that Humpty Kareem had a great fall. It’s true,” the former Bucks icon told the press on Monday. “I was at The Manhattan Transfer’s final public concert at Disney Hall, ready to read a letter from Kamala Harris and provide some praise of my own for a group I love and admire. But I fell and was carted off to UCLA Hospital with a broken hip.”

Standing at seven-foot-two, Abdul-Jabbar joked by saying he’d “like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony, but I just tripped.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become Bucks’ all-time rebounds leader

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently overcame one of Kareem’s franchise records in Milwaukee, as he won 17 rebounds on Sunday and became the team’s all-time rebounding leader. Back in the 1970s, the former star conquered his first league MVP award (out of six) with the Bucks, before being traded to the Lakers in 1975.

“It’s a big honor,” said the Greek star. “I don’t think anybody assumed the skinny kid from Greece that was drafted and supposed to play in the G-League was going to be in a position to break a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record.

“I know for sure there’s going to be someone who is going to come along in time and break all of the records that Kareem set, Oscar Robertson, Marques Johnson, myself, Khris (Middleton).”

Almost a year and a half ago, Giannis also passed Abdul-Jabbar to become Milwaukee’s all-time scoring leader. By this point, the two-time MVP owns almost every Bucks’ franchise record.

“I want to keep on playing the game at a high level,” Antetokounmpo expressed. “I want to keep on taking care of my body and I know if I do that sometimes you break records. But at the end of the day, I’m beyond blessed to be the all-time leader in rebounds, but I got to keep going and keep moving forward.”

The forward now joins LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), and Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) as the only players to lead a franchise in points, rebounds, and assists.